Regulations 2(1), 4(1)(a)(i), 7(5) and 12(1)(d)
SCHEDULE 7SLAUGHTER AND DRESSING PRACTICES REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE IN EXPORT SLAUGHTERHOUSES
The occupier and persons engaged in the handling of meat shall ensure that –
(a)animals brought into the slaughterhall are slaughtered without delay;
(b)bleeding is completed without delay and any blood intended for human consumption is collected in a clean receptacle provided for that purpose and is so kept as to remain readily identifiable with the carcases from which it was collected until those carcases have been inspected in accordance with Schedule 8;
(c)slaughtered animals are dressed in the following manner:–
(i)in the case of bovine animals and solipeds, the following shall be removed: the hide or skin, the head (save that where retention of the ears on carcases of bovine animals is necessary for any certification purpose the ears need be removed only after completion of that certification), the tonsils (save that, in the case of bovine animals and solipeds not intended for export, the removal of the tonsils shall not be compulsory), the viscera (save that the lungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum and the kidneys may remain attached to the carcase by their natural connections save that the kidneys shall be removed from their fatty and perirenal coverings), the genital organs, the urinary bladder, the feet up to the carpal and tarsal joints, and, in the case of lactating animals, animals that have given birth or are in advanced pregnancy, the udder;
(ii)in the case of swine, the following shall be removed: the tonsils (save that, in the case of swine not intended for export, removal of the tonsils shall not be compulsory), the hair and bristles (which may be removed by use of a debristling agent provided that the carcase is then rinsed by means of a spray system in running water which is clean and wholesome) or the skin, the claws, the viscera (save that the lungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum and the kidneys may remain attached to the carcase by their natural connections save that the kidneys shall be removed from their fatty and perirenal coverings, save that, in the case of swine not intended for export, exposure of the kidneys shall not be compulsory), the genital organs, the urinary bladder, the feet up to the carpal and tarsal joints (save that in the case of swine not intended for export removal of the feet shall not be compulsory), and, in the case of lactating animals, animals that have given birth or are in advanced pregnancy, the udder;
(iii)in the case of sheep and goats, the following shall be removed: the skin (including that of the head save that, where the head is not to be examined in accordance with the requirements of Schedule 8, Part V, removal of the skin of the head shall not be compulsory), the head (save that where retention of the ears on carcases of sheep is necessary for any certification purpose the ears need be removed only after completion of that certification), the viscera (save that the lungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum and the kidneys may remain attached to the carcase by their natural connections save that the kidneys shall be removed from their fatty coverings), the genital organs, the urinary bladder, the feet up to the carpal and tarsal joints and, in the case of lactating animals, animals that have given birth or are in advanced pregnancy, the udder;
(d)evisceration must be carried out immediately and completed not later than 45 minutes after stunning or, in the case of ritual slaughter, half an hour after bleeding;
(e)the following are discarded at the time of skinning the carcase –
(i)the head of a sheep or a goat, including the tongue and the brains, if the head, including the tongue and the brains, is excluded from human consumption;
(ii)the penis, provided that it shows no evidence of pathological condition;
(f)subject to paragraph (e) of this Schedule, the offal (other than the feet) of any animal are so kept as to remain readily identifiable with the carcase until that carcase has been inspected in accordance with Schedule 8 or confirmed as not to be required for the execution of such checks as are required by Council Directive 86/469/EEC((1)), and the feet of any animal are kept available for inspection in the slaughterhouse until an official veterinary surgeon or inspector authorises their removal;
(g)carcases of solipeds, bovine animals over six months old and swine over four weeks old are split lengthwise through the spinal column before being submitted for inspection in accordance with Schedule 8 (save that in the case of swine over four weeks old not intended for export the carcase need not be so split); heads of solipeds shall be split; an official veterinary surgeon or inspector may require any carcase or head to be split lengthwise if he considers it necessary for the purpose of carrying out the inspections prescribed in Schedule 8;
(h)slaughtered animals are dressed and treated in such a manner as not to prevent or hinder inspection in accordance with Schedule 8 or checks required to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 86/469/EEC and in particular no carcase is cut up and, subject to paragraph (e) of this Schedule, no part other than the hide or skin of any slaughtered animal is removed from the slaughterhouse until the inspection prescribed in Schedule 8 has been completed, and no action is taken which might alter or destroy any evidence of disease before inspection;
(i)where the blood or offal of several animals is collected in one receptacle, the entire contents of that receptacle are regarded as unfit for human consumption if the meat of any of the animals from which the blood or offal was collected is declared unfit for human consumption;
(j)fresh meat intended for export is placed without undue delay in refrigerated accommodation and is brought progressively to an internal temperature of not more than +7C for carcases, half carcases, quarter carcases and half carcases cut into three wholesale cuts, and +3C for offal, and is subsequently kept constantly at or below that temperature;
(k)meat which is brought into an export slaughterhouse and which is not eligible for export in accordance with these Regulations is stored and handled apart from or at other times than meat which is eligible for export;
(l)bleeding, flaying or removing bristles, dressing and evisceration is carried out in such a way as to avoid contamination of the carcase or offal;
(m)no implement is left in the meat;
(n)fresh meat intended for freezing is only frozen by a rapid method and is stored at a temperature of not more than–12C.
O.J. No. L275, 26.9.86, p.36.