Statutory Instruments
FOOD
Made
13th April 1991
Laid before Parliament
22nd April 1991
Coming into force
13th May 1991
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary ofState for Health and the Secretary of State for Wales, acting jointly,in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 4(1), 6(4), 16(1)(b),(c) and (d), 26(3) and 48(1) of, and paragraphs 5(1) and (2) and 6(1) ofSchedule 1 to, the Food Safety Act 1990(1) and of all other powers enabling them to act in thatbehalf, after consultation in accordance with section 48 of the said Actwith such organisations as appear to them to be representative ofinterests substantially affected by the Regulations, hereby make thefollowing Regulations:
1.-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Slaughterhouses (Hygiene) andMeat Inspection (Amendment) Regulations 1991 and shall come into forceon 13th May 1991.
(2) These Regulations shall apply to England and Wales.
2. The Slaughterhouses (Hygiene) Regulations 1977(2) shall be amended as follows-
(a)at the beginning of regulation 5(d) (requirement relating to theprovision of covered accommodation and facilities for the emptying andcleaning of stomachs and intestines) there shall be inserted thefollowing words-
"subject to regulation 5A,";
(b)after regulation 5 there shall be inserted the followingregulation-
"5A. The requirement contained in regulation 5(d) shall not apply in thecase of a slaughterhouse in which-
(a)the emptying and cleaning of stomachs and intestines is carried outin the slaughterhouse by means of closed-circuit mechanical equipmentwhich has a suitable system of ventilation and which satisfies thefollowing requirements, that is to say-
(i)the equipment is installed and arranged in such a manner thatoperations for separating intestines from the stomach and for theemptying and cleaning of stomachs can be carried out hygienically andthe equipment is located in a special space which is clearly separatedfrom any exposed meat by a partition stretching from the floor to aheight of at least three metres and surrounding the area where theseoperations are carried out;
(ii)the design and operation of the equipment effectively prevents anycontamination of meat;
(iii)an air extractor is installed in the equipment which eliminatesodours and any risk of aerosol contamination;
(iv)the equipment contains a device for ensuring the closed-circuitevacuation of the residual water and the content of stomachs to theslaughterhouse drainage system;
(b)the routes followed by stomachs to and from the equipment areclearly separated and at a suitable distance from the routes followed byother meat;
(c)stomachs are removed from such equipment in a hygienic mannerimmediately they have been emptied and cleaned; and
(d)staff handling stomachs do not handle, or have access to, any othermeat."; and
(c)for regulation 32 there shall be substituted the followingregulation-
"32. The occupier of every slaughterhouse (other than an exportslaughterhouse approved under the Fresh Meat Export (Hygiene andInspection) Regulations 1987(3)) shall ensure that-
(a)animals brought into the slaughterhall are slaughtered withoutdelay;
(b)bleeding is completed without delay and any blood which is notimmediately swilled down a drain is collected in a clean receptacleprovided for that purpose and, if intended for human consumption, is sokept as to remain readily identifiable with the carcases from which itwas collected until the carcases have been inspected in accordance withregulation 10(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Meat Inspection Regulations1987(4);
(c)subject to the provisions of the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987,the stomachs and intestines of slaughtered animals are removed from theslaughterhall unopened, and in such a manner that they do not come intocontact with the floor of the slaughterhall, as soon as possible afterthey have been separated from the carcase and that they are not openedor cleaned in any part of the premises which contains blood intended forhuman consumption or any meat other than stomachs or intestines;
(d)slaughtered animals are dressed in the following manner-
(i)in the case of bovine animals and solipeds by the removal of thetonsils, the hide or skin, the head (save that where retention of theears on carcases of bovine animals is necessary for any certificationpurpose removal may be delayed until completion of that certification),the viscera (save that the lungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, themediastinum and the kidneys may remain attached to the carcase by theirnatural connections), the genital organs (subject to regulation 8(3) ofthe Meat Inspection Regulations 1987), the urinary bladder, the feet upto the carpal and tarsal joints, and, in the case of lactating animals,animals that have given birth or are in advanced pregnancy, the udderand by the removal of the kidneys from their fatty and perirenalcoverings;
(ii)in the case of swine by the removal of the tonsils, the hair andbristles (where the bristles are removed by using a debristling agentthe carcase must immediately afterwards be rinsed in water which isclean and wholesome) or the skin, the claws, the viscera (save that thelungs, the heart, the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum and the kidneysmay remain attached to the carcase by their natural connections), thegenital organs (subject to regulation 8(3) of the Meat InspectionRegulations 1987), the urinary bladder, and, in the case of lactatinganimals, animals that have given birth or are in advanced pregnancy, theudder and by the removal of the kidneys from their fatty and perirenalcoverings;
(iii)in the case of sheep and goats, by the removal of tonsils, the skin(including that of the head except where the head is to be discardedpursuant to regulation 8(3) of the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987),the head (save that where retention of the ears on carcases of sheep isnecessary for any certification purpose removal may be delayed untilcompletion of the certification), the viscera (save that the lungs, theheart, the liver, the spleen, the mediastinum and the kidneys may remainattached to the carcase by their natural connections), the genitalorgans (subject to regulation 8(3) of the Meat Inspection Regulations1987), the urinary bladder, the feet up to the carpal and tarsal joints,and, in the case of lactating animals, animals that have given birth orare in advanced pregnancy, the udder and by the removal of the kidneysfrom their fatty covering;
(e)evisceration is carried out immediately and completed not later than45 minutes after stunning, or in the case of ritual slaughter, not laterthan 30 minutes after bleeding or, in the case of any undressed and bledcarcase brought into a slaughterhouse in accordance with regulation19(3), without delay;
(f)subject to regulation 8(3) of the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987,the organs and viscera (other than the feet) of any animal are so keptas to remain readily identifiable with the carcase until that carcasehas been inspected in accordance with regulation 10(1) of, and Schedule1 to, the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987 and any samples required forresidue tests under the Animals and Fresh Meat (Examination forResidues) Regulations 1988(5) have been taken, and the feet of any animal are keptavailable for inspection in the slaughterhouse until an authorisedofficer authorises their removal;
(g)where back bleeding ensues upon the slaughter of an animal thepleura are not completely detached from the carcase until an authorisedofficer authorises the removal of the pleura;
(h)slaughtered animals are dressed and treated in such a manner as notto prevent or hinder inspection in accordance with regulation 10(1) of,and Schedule 1 to, the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987 and inparticular no carcase is cut up and, subject to regulation 8(3) of theMeat Inspection Regulations 1987, no part other than the hide or skin ofany slaughtered animal is removed from the slaughterhouse until theinspection has been completed and any samples required for residue testsunder the Animals and Fresh Meat (Examinations for Residues) Regulations1988 have been taken, and no action is taken which might alter ordestroy any evidence of disease before inspection;
(i)here the blood of several animals is collected in one receptacle theentire contents of that receptacle are regarded as unfit for humanconsumption if the meat of any of the animals from which the blood wascollected is declared unfit for human consumption; and
(j)no implement is left in the meat."
3. The Meat Inspection Regulations 1987 shall be amended asfollows-
(a)regulation 6 (dressing of carcases) shall be omitted; and
(b)in regulation 16(a) (responsibility for securing compliance withcertain provisions of the regulations) the number"6" shall be omitted.
In witness whereof the Official Seal of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is hereunto affixed on 8th April 1991.
L.S.
Trumpington
Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
William Waldegrave
Secretary of State for Health
13th April 1991
David Hunt
Secretary of State for Wales
8th April 1991
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Slaughterhouses (Hygiene) Regulations1977 (as amended) by-
(1) providing that the requirement in the 1977 Regulations for aslaughterhouse to contain suitable and sufficient covered accommodationand facilities apart from the slaughterhall and hanging space for theemptying and cleaning of stomachs and intestines shall not apply in thecase of a slaughterhouse in which such operations are carried out bymeans of closed-circuit mechanical equipment, the construction andoperation of which meets certain specified standards (regulations 2(a)and (b)); and
(2) requiring the occupier of a slaughterhouse, other than aslaughterhouse approved under the Fresh Meat Export (Hygiene andInspection) Regulations 1987 for the purpose of producing fresh meat forexport to other Member States, to comply with certain specifiedpractices relating to the slaughter of animals and the dressing ofcarcases similar to those which already apply in the case of such anexport slaughterhouse by virtue of those Regulations (regulation 2(c)).
The Regulations also revoke provisions relating to the dressing ofcarcases contained in the Meat Inspection Regulations 1987 (regulation3).