The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995

PART IX INDICATIONS OF UNFITNESS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

1.—(1) If upon inspection of any carcase an inspector or OVS is satisfied that the animal was suffering from any of the following diseases or conditions, he shall regard the whole carcase and all the offal and blood removed or collected from it as being unfit for human consumption—

• Actinobacillosis (generalised) or actinomycosis (generalised)

• Anaemia (advanced)

• Anthrax

• Blackleg

• Botulism

• Bruising (extensive and severe)

• Brucellosis (acute)

• Caseous lymphadenitis with emaciation

• Caseous lymphadenitis (generalised)

• Cysticercus bovis (generalised)

• Cysticercus cellulosae

• Cysticercus ovis (generalised)

• Decomposition (generalised)

• Emaciation

• Enteritis (acute)

• Fever

• Foot and mouth disease

• Glanders

• Jaundice

• Lymphadenitis (generalised)

• Malignant catarrhal fever

• Mastitis (acute septic)

• Melanosis (generalised)

• Metritis (acute septic)

• Abnormal odour associated with disease or other conditions prejudicial to health or pronounced sexual odour

• Oedema (generalised)

• Pericarditis (acute septic)

• Peritonitis (acute diffuse septic)

• Pleurisy (acute diffuse septic)

• Pneumonia (acute septic)

• Pyaemia (including joint-ill)

• Rabies

• Salmonellosis (acute)

• Sarcocysts (generalised)

• Septicaemia

• Swine erysipelas (acute)

• Swine fever

• Tetanus

• Toxaemia

• Trichinellosis

• Tuberculosis (generalised)

• Tuberculosis with emaciation

• Tumours (malignant with secondary growths or multiple)

• Uraemia

• Viraemia.

(2) An inspector or OVS shall reject as unfit for human consumption any stillborn or unborn carcase and any immature carcase which is oedematous or in poor physical condition, together with any offal or blood removed or collected therefrom.

2.  An inspector or OVS shall reject the blood of any animal as unfit for human consumption if he is satisfied—

(a) that the animal was affected with any infectious condition; or

(b) that the blood is contaminated by stomach contents or other extraneous matter.

3.  An inspector of OVS shall, in determining for the purposes of this Part of this Schedule whether tuberculosis is generalised, take into account the sum of the evidence of disease and the character of the lesions throughout the carcase and, in particular, shall regard evidence of any of the following conditions as satisfactory evidence of generalised tuberculosis—

(a) military tuberculosis of both lungs with evidence of tuberculosis elsewhere;

(b) multiple and actively progressive lesions of tuberculosis;

(c) widespread tuberculosis infection of the lymph nodes of the carcase;

(d) diffuse acute lesions of tuberculosis of both the pleura and peritoneum associated with an enlarged or tuberculous lymph node of the carcase;

(e) active or recent lesions present in substance of any two of the following: spleen, kidney, udder, uterus, ovary, testicle, brain and spinal cord or their membranes, in addition to tuberculosis lesions in the respiratory and digestive tracts; and

(f) in the case of a calf, congenital tuberculosis.

4.—(1) Where an inspector or OVS is satisfied that a carcase or offal is affected with tuberculosis other than generalised tuberculosis with emaciation, he shall reject the following parts of the carcase and offal as unfit for human consumption—

(a) any part of the carcase infected with localised tuberculosis and any other part contiguous thereto;

(b) the head including the tongue, when tuberculosis exists in any lymph node associated with the head or tongue; save that where in a particular lymph node or nodes the lesion is small and inactive and the lymph node is not enlarged, he may regard the head or tongue, or both, as fit for human consumption after the removal of the affected lymph node or nodes and the surrounding tissue; and

(c) any organ or viscera when tuberculosis exists in the substance, or on the surface thereof, or in any lymph node associated therewith.

(2) An inspector or OVS shall reject any part of a carcase and any offal or blood contaminated with tuberculosis material as unfit for human consumption.

5.  An inspector of OVS shall regard either of the following conditions as satisfactory evidence of generalised caseous lymphadenitis for the purpose of this Part of this Schedule—

(a) multiple, acute and actively progressive lesions of caseous lymphadenitis; or

(b) multiple lesions of caseous lymphadenitis which are inactive but widespread.

6.—(1) Where an inspector or OVS is satisfied—

(a) that a carcase or offal is affected with caseous lymphadenitis or any other suppurative condition; but

(b) that the condition is not generalised nor associated with emaciation, he shall reject the following parts of the carcase and offal as unfit for human consumption—

(i) any organ and its associated lymph node, when the condition exists on the surface or in the substance of that organ or lymph node; and

(ii) when it does not so exist, the lesion and such of the surrounding parts as he may think proper having regard to the age and degree of activity of the lesion.

(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (i) and (ii) above, an old lesion which is firmly encapsulated may be regarded as inactive.

7.  Where an inspector or OVS is satisfied that any part of a carcase or any offal is affected with a localised infestation of cysticercus bovis, he shall reject the following parts of the carcase and offal as unfit for human consumption—

(a) the part of the carcase or offal so infested; and

(b) the remainder of the carcase and offal unless he is satisfied that they have been kept in cold storage at a temperature not exceeding –7°C for a period of not less than three weeks or at a temperature not exceeding –10°C for a period of not less than two weeks.

8.  An inspector or OVS shall reject as unfit for human consumption meat resulting from trimming of the sticking point.

9.  Where an inspector or OVS is satisfied that the whole or any part of a carcase or any offal is affected by any disease or condition other than one mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 7 above or that it is contaminated, he shall reject as unfit for human consumption the whole carcase and the offal or such lesser part thereof as he may think appropriate to the circumstances of the case.

10.  Where an inspector or OVS is satisfied that a part of a carcase or any offal is affected by a slight localised infestation by a parasite not transmissible to man, he may at his discretion reject as unfit for human consumption the part of the carcase or offal so affected together with the tissue immediately surrounding it.

11.  Where the blood or offal of several animals is collected in one receptacle an inspector or OVS shall reject as unfit for human consumption the entire contents of that receptacle if fresh meat of any of the animals from which the blood was collected or the offal obtained is declared unfit for human consumption.

12.  Fresh meat from horses shall be examined for trichinellosis and shall be rejected as unfit for human consumption if so affected.

13.  Where the Minister so directs, an OVS or an inspector shall examine fresh meat from swine for trichinellosis and shall reject as unfit for human consumption fresh meat so affected.

14.  Without prejudice to paragraph 13 above, where the Minister so directs, fresh meat from swine not examined for trichinellosis shall be subjected to cold treatment in accordance with Annex 1 to Directive 77/96/EEC(1).

(1)

OJ No. L26, 31.1.77., p.67.