Search Legislation

The Food Safety (Fishery Products and Live Shellfish) (Hygiene) Regulations 1998

 Help about what version

What Version

  • Latest available (Revised)
  • Original (As made)

More Resources

Status:

This is the original version (as it was originally made). This item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.

CHAPTER IVCONDITIONS FOR THE APPROVAL OF DISPATCH OR PURIFICATION CEN TRES

Section IGeneral conditions relating to premises and equipment

Centres must not be located in areas which are close to objectionable odours, smoke, dust and other contaminants. The location must not be subject to flooding by ordinary high tides or run-off from surrounding areas.

Centres must have at least—

1.  on premises where live shellfish are handled or stored—

(a)buildings or facilities of sound construction, designed and maintained adequately for the purpose of preventing contamination of live bivalve molluscs by any type of waste, dirty water, fumes, dirt or by the presence of rodents or other animals;

(b)flooring which is easy to keep clean and is laid in such a way as to facilitate drainage;

(c)adequate working space to allow for satisfactory performance of all operations;

(d)durable walls which are easy to clean;

(e)adequate natural or artificial lighting;

2.  access to an appropriate number of changing rooms, wash basins and lavatories; there must be a sufficient number of wash basins close to the lavatories;

3.  adequate equipment for washing tools, containers and equipment;

4.  facilities for the supply and, where appropriate, storage of exclusively potable water or facilities for the supply of clean seawater. Facilities supplying non-potable water may be authorised. The water concerned may not come into direct contact with live shellfish or be used for cleaning or disinfecting containers, plant or equipment which come into contact with live shellfish. Pipes and outlets carrying non-potable water must be clearly distinguished from those carrying potable water;

5.  equipment and instruments or their surfaces which are intended to come into contact with live shellfish must be made of corrosion-resistant material which is easy to wash and clean repeatedly.

Section IIGeneral hygiene requirements

A high degree of cleanliness and hygiene must be required of staff, premises, equipment and working conditions—

1.  staff who treat or handle live shellfish must in particular wear clean working clothes and, where appropriate, gloves which are suitable for the work in which the person is engaged;

2.  staff are obliged to refrain from personal behaviour, such as spitting, which could result in contamination of live shellfish; any person suffering from an illness which can be transmitted by live shellfish must be temporarily prohibited, until recovery, from working with or handling these products;

3.  any rodents, insects or other vermin found must be destroyed and further infestation prevented. Domestic animals must not enter the facilities;

4.  premises, equipment and instruments used for handling live shellfish must be kept clean and in a good state of repair; equipment and instruments must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the day’s work and at such other times as may be appropriate;

5.  premises, instruments and equipment must not be used for purposes other than the handling of live shellfish without authorization by the food authority;

6.  waste products must be stored hygienically in a separate area and, where appropriate, in covered containers suitable for the purpose intended. Waste material must be removed from the vicinity of the establishment at appropriate intervals;

7.  the finished products must be stored under cover and must be kept away from the areas where animals other than live bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates or marine gastropods— such as crustaceans—are handled.

Section IIIRequirements for purification centres

In addition to the requirements under Sections I and II, the following conditions must be met—

1.  the floors and walls of the purification tanks and any water storage containers must have a smooth, hard and impermeable surface and be easy to clean by scrubbing or use of pressurised water. The base of the purification tanks must be sufficiently sloped and be equipped with drainage sufficient for the volume of work;

2.  live bivalve molluscs must be washed free of mud with pressurised clean seawater or potable water before purification. The initial washing may also be carried out in the purification tanks before purification commences, the drainage pipes being kept open during the entire initial washing and sufficient time being allowed thereafter for the system to be flushed clean before the purification process begins;

3.  the purification tanks must be supplied with a sufficient flow of seawater per hour and per tonne of live bivalve molluscs treated;

4.  clean seawater or seawater cleaned by treatment must be used for purifying live bivalve molluscs; the distance between the seawater intake point and the waste water outlets must be sufficient to avoid contamination; if treatment of the seawater is necessary, the process shall be authorised once its effectiveness has been verified by the Ministers; water used to prepare seawater from its major constituent chemicals must be potable water;

5.  operation of the purification system must allow live bivalve molluscs to rapidly resume filter feeding activity, remove sewage contamination, not to become recontaminated and be able to remain alive in a suitable condition after purification for wrapping, storage and transport before being placed on the market;

6.  the quantity of live bivalve molluscs to be purified must not exceed the capacity of the purification centre; the live bivalve molluscs must be continuously purified for a period sufficient to allow the microbiological standards laid down in Chapter V to be met. This period starts from the moment at which the live bivalve molluscs in the purification tanks are adequately covered by the water until the moment when they are removed. The purification centre must take account of the data relating to the raw materials (the type of bivalve mollusc, its area or origin, microbe content, etc.) in case it is necessary to extend the purification period so as to ensure that the live bivalve molluscs meet the bacteriological requirements of Chapter V;

7.  should a purification tank contain several batches of molluscs, they must be of the same species and come from the same production area or different areas conforming to the same health conditions. The length of the treatment must be based on the time required by the batch needing the longest period of purification;

8.  containers used to hold live bivalve molluscs in purification systems must have a construction which allows seawater to flow through; the depth of layers of live bivalve molluscs should not impede the opening of shells during purification;

9.  no crustaceans, fish or other marine species must be kept in a purification tank in which live bivalve molluscs are undergoing purification;

10.  after completion of purification, the shells of live bivalve molluscs must be washed thoroughly by hosing with potable water or clean seawater; this may take place in the purification tank if necessary; the washing water must not be recirculated;

11.  purification centres must have their own laboratories or secure the services of a laboratory equipped with the necessary facilities for checking the efficiency of purification by use of microbiological specifications. Laboratory facilities outside the centres must be acceptable to the food authority;

12.  purification centres must regularly keep a record of the following data—

  • results of microbiological tests on purification system water entering the purification tanks;

  • results of microbiological tests on unpurified live bivalve molluscs;

  • results of microbiological tests on purified live bivalve molluscs;

  • dates and quantities of live bivalve molluscs delivered to the purification centre and corresponding movement document numbers;

  • the times of filling and emptying of purification systems (purification times);

  • dispatch details of consignments after purification;

these records must be completed and accurate, legible and recorded in a permanent ledger book which must be available for inspection by the food authority or a person authorized by the Ministers;

13.  purification centres must accept only those batches of live bivalve molluscs which are accompanied by a movement document or permanent transport authorization. Purification centres dispatching batches of live bivalve molluscs to dispatch centres must provide a movement document or permanent transport authorization;

14.  every package containing purified live bivalve molluscs must be provided with a label certifying that all molluscs have been purified.

Section IVRequirements for dispatch centres

1.  In addition to the requirements under Sections I and II, the following conditions must be met—

(a)conditioning must not cause any contamination of the product, conditioning facilities must be used in accordance with procedures recognised by the Ministers, with special regard to the bacteriological and chemical quality of the seawater used in those facilities;

(b)equipment and containers in the conditioning facilities must not constitute a source of contamination;

(c)procedures for calibration of live shellfish must not result in additional contamination of the product or in any changes affecting the ability of the product to be transported and stored after wrapping;

(d)any washing or cleaning of live shellfish must be carried out using pressurised clean seawater or potable water; cleaning water may not be recycled.

2.  Dispatch centres must accept only those batches of live shellfish which are accompanied by the movement document referred to in paragraph 6 of Chapter II, and coming from an approved production area, relaying area or purification centre.

3.  Dispatch centres must have their own laboratories or secure the services of a laboratory equipped with the necessary facilities for checking inter alia, whether the shellfish comply with the microbiological standards of Chapter V. Laboratory facilities outside the centre must be acceptable to the food authority. However, these requirements do not apply to dispatch centres obtaining molluscs exclusively and directly from a purification centre where they have been examined after purification.

4.  Dispatch centres must keep the following data at the disposal of the food authority—

  • results of microbiological tests on live bivalve molluscs from an approved production arae or relaying area;

  • dates and quantities of live shellfish delivered to the dispatch centre and corresponding movement document numbers;

  • dispatch details.

These data must be classified chronologically and preserved for a period to be laid down by the food authority, but not less than three months.

5.  Dispatch centres situated aboard vessels shall be subject to the conditions laid down in paragraphs 1(b), (c) and (d) and in paragraphs 3 and 4. The conditions laid down in Section I and II shall apply mutatis mutandis to such dispatch centres although special conditions may be laid down in accordance with the procedure laid down in article 12 of the Live Bivalve Molluscs Directive.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument

The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open The Whole Instrument as a PDF

The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open the Whole Instrument

The Whole Instrument you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

You have chosen to open Schedules only

The Schedules you have selected contains over 200 provisions and might take some time to download. You may also experience some issues with your browser, such as an alert box that a script is taking a long time to run.

Would you like to continue?

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources