The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995

2.  The occupier of the cutting premises shall ensure that—

(a) any of the following at (i) to (vi) below is cut up,prepared or, if unpackaged, stored (as the case may be) in the case of (i), (ii) and (iii) below, in a separate room from, or at other times than, unpackaged fresh meat and in the case of (iv), (v) and (vi) below, separately from unpackaged fresh meat—

(i) poultry meat,

(ii) farmed game meat from animals of the family Leporidae,

(iii) wild game meat,

(iv) minced meat prepared with the addition of spices or similar substances,

(v) meat preparations, and

(vi) meat products,

and that any room used for such operations is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before being used again for the cutting up, preparation or storage of fresh meat;

(b) the products (other than fresh meat) referred to in sub-paragraph (a) above are cut up, prepared or, if unpackaged, stored (as the case may be) separately from each other;

(c) without prejudice to paragraph 3 below, as soon as fresh meat intended for cutting up enters the cutting premises, it is placed in the refrigerated room provided for the reception and storage of such meat awaiting cutting and maintained there at an internal temperature of not more than +7°C for carcases, half carcases, half carcases cut into three wholesale cuts and quarter carcases and +3°C for offal;

(d) without prejudice to paragraph 3 below, fresh meat is brought into the cutting room as and when required, that it remains in that room only for the minimum time required to carry out the necessary cutting up operations, and that on completion of cutting up, wrapping and packaging such meat is transferred without undue delay to the refrigerated room and there maintained at an internal temperature of not more than +7°C for cut fresh meat and +3°C for offal;

(e) fresh meat entering the premises is checked and, if necessary trimmed and the work stations for this task are equipped with suitable facilities and adequate lighting.

(f) without prejudice to paragraph 3 below, cutting up does not take place until the fresh meat has reached an internal temperature of not more than +7°C for carcases, half carcases, half carcases cut into three wholesale cuts and quarter carcases and +3°C for offal, that during cutting up, wrapping and packaging such meat is kept at an internal temperature of not more than +7°C for carcases and cuts and +3°C for offal, and, with the exception of low throughput cutting premises, that while cutting up is taking place the temperature of the room does not exceed +12°C;

(g) any splinters of bone and clots of blood are removed from fresh meat during cutting up;

(h) no carcase, offal or cut fresh meat is wiped down;

(i) fresh meat obtained from cutting up and not intended for human consumption is collected in the appropriate receptacles as it is cut up;

(j) no implement is left in fresh meat; and

(k) in the case of fresh meat from bovine animals, obvious nervous and lymphatic tissue is removed and collected in the appropriate receptacles and not used for human consumption.