Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Part II Additional Requirements applicable in all Slaughterhouses and Farmed Game Processing Facilities

1.  The occupier of every slaughterhouse and farmed game processing facility shall ensure that—

(a) receptacles provided for holding blood intended for human consumption are clearly identified and used for no other purpose;

(b) any scalding tanks are emptied and washed out as often as is reasonably necessary and thoroughly cleaned at the end of each working day;

(c) pithing rods, if used, must be capable of being cleansed and disinfected and be kept cleansed between use on each animal;

(d) prior to post-mortem inspection carcases or offal do not come into contact with each other and, during chilling, carcases are so hung as to allow air to circulate freely between them at all times;

(e) the lairage is kept clean;

(f) the contents of every receptacle containing blood, and waste and every manure bay are removed from the slaughterhouse or farmed game processing facility as often as may be necessary to prevent a nuisance and in any event at least once in every 2 days and, after the contents have been so removed, the receptacle or bay is thoroughly cleaned before being used again; save that the contents of manure pits may remain in the slaughterhouse more than 2 days provided that the contents are kept dry, the lairages are operated in a hygienic manner and the pits whenever emptied are thoroughly cleaned before being used again;

(g) hides, skins, horns, hooves, swine’s bristles and fat not intended for human consumption are collected and taken away daily unless they are stored in the room or rooms provided for the storage of such products, and by-products of slaughtering not intended for human consumption are removed from the premises as often as may be necessary to prevent a nuisance; and

(h) fresh meat rejected as being unfit for human consumption is removed as soon as possible to the room or receptacle provided for the retention of such meat in a manner which avoids any risk of contamination of fresh meat which is intended for human consumption and such accommodation is kept locked except when it is necessarily opened for the reception and removal of unfit meat or at the request of an OVS or inspector for the purpose of the examination and seizure of such meat.

2.  In a slaughterhouse or farmed game processing facility a person shall not—

(a) when stirring any blood intended for human consumption, permit his hand or other part of his person to come into contact with such blood;

(b) inflate in any manner the carcase or any part whatsoever of any animal intended for human consumption; save that this shall not apply in the case of the slaughter by the Jewish method of animals intended as food for Jewish persons provided that any organs so inflated are not intended for human consumption, and except that mechanical insufflation may be used for the flaying of lambs and kids of a live weight of less than 15 kg, in accordance with hygiene requirements; or

(c) use any equipment that has been used in a knacker’s yard.