The Fresh Meat Export (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1987

Regulations 4(1)(a)(i) and 11

SCHEDULE 1 CONDITIONS FOR THE APPROVAL OF EXPORT SLAUGHTERHOUSES

1.  The slaughterhouse shall comply with the requirements of Parts II and III of the Slaughterhouses (Hygiene) Regulations 1977(1) as if such of those requirements as apply only to slaughterhouses operating for the first time after 10 May 1978 applied to all slaughterhouses regardless of the date on which they first operated.

2.  In addition the slaughterhouse shall have—

(a) a suitable, sufficient and separate room or rooms for the storage of horns, hooves, swine’s bristles and fat not intended for human consumption unless these waste products are to be collected and taken away daily; save that where accommodation is provided in accordance with regulation 5(h) of the Slaughterhouses (Hygiene) Regulations 1977 for the storage of hides and skins, that accommodation shall also be regarded as suitable and sufficient for the storage of horns, hooves, swine’s bristles and fat not intended for human consumption;

(b) suitable, sufficient and separate accommodation capable of being securely locked for the slaughter and dressing of any animal which is diseased or injured or suspected of being diseased or injured save that such accommodation need not be provided if—

(i) the diseased animal is slaughtered after completion of the slaughter of animals whose meat is intended for export and steps are taken to prevent contamination of such meat;

(ii) the premises are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected under official supervision before being being used again for the slaughtering of animals whose meat is intended for export; and

(iii) suitable and sufficient facilities are provided for the introduction of the carcase of an injured animal into the slaughterhall in a manner which will not prejudice the hygienic operation of the slaughterhouse;

(c) a suitable and sufficiently large refrigerated room or rooms for the cooling of meat, equipped with fittings resistant to corrosion which prevent meat from coming into contact with the floors and walls; where a refrigerated room is used to store meat already cooled, it shall also have a recording thermometer or recording telethermometer and shall be used at any one time only for storing meat prepared in an export slaughterhouse;

(d) a suitable, sufficiently large and adequately equipped room or rooms capable of being securely locked for the exclusive use of the official veterinary surgeon and inspectors having regard to the number of such persons employed;

(e) sufficient and adequately equipped showers which are for the use of persons working in the slaughterhouse and are situated near the accommodation where such persons may change their clothes;

(f) facilities which will enable the inspections and supervision provided for in these Regulations to be carried out efficiently;

(g) means of controlling access to and exit from the slaughterhouse;

(h) where necessary, adequate means of steam extraction;

(i) a place and adequate equipment for cleansing and disinfecting vehicles;

(j) doors and door frames of a hard wearing, non-corrodible material or, if made of wood, faced with a smooth, impermeable covering;

(k) insulation materials which are rotproof and odourless;

(l) facilities for the hygienic handling and protection of meat during loading and unloading;

(m) a separate room or rooms capable of being securely locked for the retention of meat rejected as being unfit for human consumption, unless such meat is removed as often as may be necessary and in any case at least once daily and the quantity of such meat is not sufficient to require the provision of a separate room or rooms. In such circumstances suitable and sufficient receptacles shall be provided which are capable of being securely locked and which shall be used only for holding meat rejected as being unfit for human consumption and shall be clearly marked to that effect. Any chutes used to transport such meat shall be so constructed and installed as to avoid any risk of contamination of the fresh meat;

(n) suitable refrigeration equipment to allow for the internal temperature of the meat to be maintained at the level specified in Schedule 7; drainage from such equipment shall present no risk of contamination to the meat;

(o) in the accommodation where persons working in the slaughterhouse may change their clothes, surfaces of walls and floors which are smooth, washable and impermeable;

(p) in the lairage, walls and floors which are durable, impermeable, and easy to clean and disinfect;

(q) a suitable, sufficient and separate room exclusively reserved for the preparation and cleaning of offal other than the emptying and cleaning of stomachs and intestines and the dressing of guts and tripe, and which includes a separate area for handling heads at a sufficient distance from other offal, if these operations are carried out in the slaughterhouse other than on the slaughterline;

(r) a suitable and separate place for the packing of offal in accordance with the requirements of Part II of Schedule 12, if this is done in the slaughterhouse.

3.  Water which is required to be clean and wholesome shall meet the requirements of Council Directive 80/778/EEC(2) and records of the results of water tests and any consequent action shall be made available to the official veterinary surgeon at all times and shall be kept for a period of not less than one year. Water which is not clean and wholesome may be used in the slaughterhouse only for the purpose of fire fighting or the operation of refrigerators or steam boilers, and pipes carrying such water shall be arranged so as not to allow any such water to be used for any other purpose; and all such pipes shall clearly be distinguished from those used for potable water and shall present no risk of contamination to fresh meat.

4.  In the case of a slaughterhouse where both swine and other animals are slaughtered, and no separate accommodation for the slaughter of swine exists, the slaughterhouse shall contain suitable and sufficient accommodation for the scalding, depilation, scraping and singeing of swine. Where such operations take place such accommodation shall be separated from the slaughter line for other species either by an open space of at least 5 metres or by a partition at least 3 metres high.

(1)

S.I. 1977/1805, amended by S.I. 1987/2235.

(2)

OJ No. L229, 30.8.80, p. 11.