The Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations 1995

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which apply to Great Britain, come into force on 1st April 1995 and make provision for the sterilisation and staining of animal by-products (defined in regulation 3) and for the control of the movement of such by-products. They revoke the Meat (Sterilisation and Staining) Regulations 1982 and the Meat and Poultry Meat (Staining and Sterilisation) (Scotland) Regulations 1983 (regulation 15) and make consequential amendments to the Bovine Offal (Prohibition) Regulations 1989 and the Bovine Offal (Prohibition) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 (regulation 16).

The Regulations do not apply to entire dead animals (regulation 4), specified green offal of wild game, by-products removed by a veterinary surgeon for examination, specified waste from animal by-products, animal by-products imported for scientific purposes, specified animal by-products which are transhipped or specified bovine offal (regulation 5(1)).

The Regulations—

(a) require the immediate staining or sterilisation at a slaughterhouse or game processing facility (regulation 6), or at any animal by-products premises (regulation 7), of animal by-products excluding poultry by-products and certain other specified by-products (regulation 5(2));

(b) prohibit the freezing of any animal by-product in any slaughterhouse, game processing facility or animal by-products premises (regulation 8);

(c) prohibit the storing of unsterilised animal by-products in the same room as products which are intended for human consumption and the storing of unsterilised animal by-products which are not properly packed and labelled in premises used for the storage of products fit for human consumption (regulation 9);

(d) prohibit the movement from any slaughterhouse, game processing facility or animal by-products premises of unstained or unsterilised animal by-products except in specified circumstances (regulation 10);

(e) make provision for the application of various provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 (regulation 11);

(f) specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 12);

(g) require food authorities to supply information to the Minister as and when required (regulation 13); and

(h) create offences and prescribe penalties (regulation 14).

A Compliance Cost Assessment in relation to these Regulations has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament, and copies can be obtained from the Meat Hygiene Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Government Buildings, Hook Rise South, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 7NF.