Animal By-Products Order (Northern Ireland) 2002

Articles 7 and 8

SCHEDULE 1 Requirements for rendering plants

General requirements

1.  The approved premises shall be adequately separated from other buildings and from the public highway, except that they may be in the same building as a slaughterhouse provided that they are in a completely separate part.

2.  Animals and unauthorised persons shall not be permitted to enter the premises. Animals shall not be permitted to have access to unrendered animal by-products or any liquid from them. Preventive measures against birds, rodents, insects and other vermin shall be taken systematically.

3.  Floors shall be impervious, cleanable and be laid so that liquids drain away, and cannot seep from the unclean area into the clean area.

4.  The premises shall be drained by a waste water disposal system. Waste water originating in the unclean area shall be treated to ensure that no pathogens remain.

5.  Adequate lavatories, changing areas and washbasins shall be available for staff.

Clean and unclean areas

6.  There shall be a clean area and an unclean area, adequately separated. The unclean area shall be easy to clean and disinfect. There shall be a covered place (the reception area) to receive and store the unrendered animal by-products.

7.  Unrendered animal by-products shall be unloaded in the reception area and either—

(a) rendered immediately, or

(b) stored in the reception area and rendered without undue delay.

8.  If carcases are de-skinned or de-haired, there shall be adequate facilities in the unclean area for doing this, and there shall be a storage room for hides.

9.  Rendered material shall be handled, processed and stored in the clean area in such a way as to prevent recontamination. Rendered material shall not be allowed to come into contact with any unrendered animal by-products.

10.  Persons who have been in the unclean area shall not enter the clean area without first disinfecting or changing their footwear and changing their outer clothing. Equipment and utensils which have been in the unclean area shall not be taken into the clean area unless they have been suitably cleansed and disinfected.

Cleansing and disinfection facilities

11.  There shall be adequate facilities (including a water supply) provided to enable containers and vehicles (including their wheels) to be cleansed and disinfected in accordance with this paragraph. Vehicles (including their wheels) used for the transport of animal by-products shall be cleansed and disinfected before entering the clean area or (if they do not enter the clean area) before they leave the premises. Containers used for animal by-products shall be cleansed and disinfected after each use.

Equipment

12.  If the rendering method requires animal by-products to be reduced in size before rendering, the unclean area shall contain equipment to do this, and also equipment for loading the resultant material into the rendering unit.

13.  The premises shall have equipment capable of producing sufficient hot water and steam if these are used to render animal by-products.

14.—(1) Rendering premises shall be equipped with suitable rendering equipment. Where heat treatment is required, this installation shall be equipped with:

(a) measuring equipment to check temperature and, if necessary, pressure at critical points;

(b) recording devices to record continuously the results of measurements; and

(c) an adequate safety system to prevent insufficient heating.

15.  Installations and equipment shall be kept in a good state of repair. All measuring equipment shall be calibrated at regular intervals. A record shall be kept showing when re-calibrations were carried out.

Laboratories

16.  Where microbiological tests are required under Article 10, the premises shall either have their own laboratory authorised under this Order or make use of the services of a laboratory authorised under this Order.