SCHEDULE 13 STORAGE OF MEAT REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE IN EXPORT COLD STORES
Regulations 4(1)(a)(iii), 7(7), 8(9)(b) and 12(1)(g)
1 The occupier of the cold store shall facilitate supervision of the store, and of the handling and inspection of the meat, and shall place the necessary facilities at the disposal of an official veterinary surgeon or inspector.
2 The owner of the meat and the occupier of the cold store shall secure arrangements for supervision of meat during movement into the store and during storage as follows –
(a) unwrapped meat, meat wrapped in stockinette and all Intervention meat owned by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce shall be supervised during movement into the store and during storage by an official veterinary surgeon or inspector; however, for privately-owned, packed and wrapped meat supervision during movement into the store and during storage may be waived at the owner’s discretion;
(b) for all meat there shall be maintained at the store adequate records including the accompanying veterinary health certificate in the form prescribed in the Annex to Schedule 14, and thermographs (identified and validated) to record the time and date when the meat was taken into store, its location in the store and the storage conditions; these records shall be made available on request to an official veterinary surgeon or inspector and shall be sufficient to provide the information necessary to enable the official veterinary surgeon to issue the health certificate provided for in Schedule 14.
3 The occupier shall ensure that fresh meat intended for export is –
(a) kept at an internal temperature of not more than +7C for carcase and cuts and +3C for offal and, if frozen, maintained at a temperature of not more than–12C;
(b) supervised by an official veterinary surgeon or inspector at the time of loading for despatch;
(c) handled, loaded and unloaded, stored and, if freezing is carried out, frozen in a hygienic manner, and in particular that it is handled, loaded and unloaded under cover;
(d) adequately protected during storage from the risk of contamination including taint;
(e) stored separately from meat which is not eligible for export in accordance with these Regulations;
(f) identifiable as to origin while it is being stored;
(g) made available for inspection on request by an official veterinary surgeon or inspector.
4 The occupier shall ensure that where meat that is not packed is brought into the cold store for freezing it is not stored on wooden pallets and that during freezing it is suspended from either a rail system or suitable frames of a material resistant to corrosion.