Weights and Measures Act
Encyclopedia
A Weights and Measures Act is an Act of Parliament
determining trade law where the weight or size of the goods being traded are important. For example, if a bottle of milk is for sale and has a label saying it contains one pint
, then the law states that it must contain that amount.
. Some other Commonwealth
countries, such as India
, also use the same terminology for similar pieces of legislation
. The terms of the acts are currently enforced by the 200 Trading Standards Offices managed by local authorities around the country. Definitions of units of measurements and the provision of the technical equipment relating to weights and measures are in the UK provided by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory
, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
In the United Kingdom, the current primary legislation is the Weights and Measures Act 1985. The most recent piece of secondary legislation is the Weights and Packaged Goods Regulations 2006. Many other statutory instruments also govern particular areas of trade. A comprehensive list of still relevant Acts and Orders for England and Wales may be found at tradingstandards.gov.uk (Rich Text Format
file).
(the so-called "Metric Martyrs case"), the use of both metric and imperial units of measure has been permitted in the United Kingdom from the nineteenth century onwards. As Section 1 of the Weights and Measures Act 1963 provided: "[t]he yard or the metre shall be the unit of measurement of length and the pound or the kilogram shall be the unit of measurement of mass by reference to which any measurement involving a measurement of length or mass shall be made in the United Kingdom."
There is no legislation outlawing the use of imperial units of measure on goods. All that is required is that the equivalent metric units also be displayed. Directive 80/181/EEC (as amended by Directive 89/617/EEC) units of measurement included in Chapter III of its Annex, including the imperial measure, could be used until 31 December 1999. This deadline was later extended. Following popular opposition to attempts to force people in Britain to use metric measurements European Commissioner
Günter Verheugen
stated on 11 September 2007 that not only were there no plans to oblige the United Kingdom to abandon the imperial measure, but also that European legislation would be enacted to guarantee the future use of the imperial unit.
. Most of the states have enacted these handbooks into law.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
determining trade law where the weight or size of the goods being traded are important. For example, if a bottle of milk is for sale and has a label saying it contains one pint
Pint
The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
, then the law states that it must contain that amount.
United Kingdom
In the Magna Carta of 1215 (The Great Charter) with the seal of King John, put before him by the Barons of England, King John agreed in Clause 35 "There shall be one measure of wine throughout our whole realm, and one measure of ale and one measure of corn--namely, the London quart;--and one width of dyed and russet and hauberk cloths--namely, two ells below the selvage…."http://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/magna_carta/MCFF-Education-Packet.pdf. There have been many Weights and Measures Acts in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Some other Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
countries, such as India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, also use the same terminology for similar pieces of legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
. The terms of the acts are currently enforced by the 200 Trading Standards Offices managed by local authorities around the country. Definitions of units of measurements and the provision of the technical equipment relating to weights and measures are in the UK provided by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory
National Weights and Measures Laboratory
The National Measurement Office is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills . The Agency was formerly known as the National Weights and Measures Laboratory until April 2008....
, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.
In the United Kingdom, the current primary legislation is the Weights and Measures Act 1985. The most recent piece of secondary legislation is the Weights and Packaged Goods Regulations 2006. Many other statutory instruments also govern particular areas of trade. A comprehensive list of still relevant Acts and Orders for England and Wales may be found at tradingstandards.gov.uk (Rich Text Format
Rich Text Format
The Rich Text Format is a proprietary document file format with published specification developed by Microsoft Corporation since 1987 for Microsoft products and for cross-platform document interchange....
file).
Dual system
For more than 100 years imperial units of measure have not been the only units of measurement in the United Kingdom. In fact, as Lord Justice Laws noted in Thoburn v Sunderland City CouncilThoburn v Sunderland City Council
Thoburn v Sunderland City Council is an important English constitutional law case. It advances the theory that there exists a hierarchy of Acts of Parliament, whereby those Acts affecting "the legal relationship between citizen and State" or "fundamental constitutional rights" form a special and...
(the so-called "Metric Martyrs case"), the use of both metric and imperial units of measure has been permitted in the United Kingdom from the nineteenth century onwards. As Section 1 of the Weights and Measures Act 1963 provided: "[t]he yard or the metre shall be the unit of measurement of length and the pound or the kilogram shall be the unit of measurement of mass by reference to which any measurement involving a measurement of length or mass shall be made in the United Kingdom."
There is no legislation outlawing the use of imperial units of measure on goods. All that is required is that the equivalent metric units also be displayed. Directive 80/181/EEC (as amended by Directive 89/617/EEC) units of measurement included in Chapter III of its Annex, including the imperial measure, could be used until 31 December 1999. This deadline was later extended. Following popular opposition to attempts to force people in Britain to use metric measurements European Commissioner
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
Günter Verheugen
Günter Verheugen
-Erler:At around the same time, photographs appeared showing him holidaying with Petra Erler, the head of his private office. A Commission spokesman backed him by saying "the private holidays of Vice President Verheugen in Lithuania this summer did not violate the rules applicable to members of the...
stated on 11 September 2007 that not only were there no plans to oblige the United Kingdom to abandon the imperial measure, but also that European legislation would be enacted to guarantee the future use of the imperial unit.
Historic Acts of Parliament
Acts include (note this list may not be complete for very early date):- False Weights and Scales Act 1770
- Weights and Measures Act 1795
- Weights and Measures Act 1797
- Weights and Measures Act 1815
- Weights and Measures Act 1824
- Weights and Measures Act 1825
- Weights and Measures Act 1834
- Weights and Measures Act 1855
- Weights and Measures Act 1859
- Weights and Measures Act 1878
- Weights and Measures Act 1889
- Weights and Measures Act 1904
- Weights and Measures Act 1926
- Weights and Measures Act 1936
- Weights and Measures Act 1963
- Weights and Measures etc Act 1976
- Weights and Measures Act 1985
United States
In the U.S. a regular meeting of the states (the National Conference on Weights and Measures) maintains several handbooks, which are available at the web site of the National Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
. Most of the states have enacted these handbooks into law.