By way of derogation from point 8, Member States may decide to allow the harvesting of head meat from bovine in cutting plants specifically authorised for this purpose and provided that the following conditions are complied with:

(a)

the heads intended for transport to the cutting plant shall be suspended on a rack during the storing period and the transport from the slaughterhouse to the cutting plant;

(b)

the frontal shot hole and the foramen magnum shall be properly sealed with an impermeable and durable stopper before being moved from the conveyor or hooks to the racks. Where the brainstem is sampled for laboratory testing for BSE, the foramen magnum shall be sealed immediately after that sampling;

(c)

the heads which have not been properly sealed in accordance with point (b), where the eyes are damaged or lost immediately prior to or after slaughter or which were otherwise damaged in a way which might result in contamination of the head meat with central nervous tissue shall be excluded from transport to the specifically authorised cutting plants;

(d)

a sampling plan for the slaughterhouse using an appropriate laboratory test to detect central nervous system tissue shall be in place to verify the proper implementation of the measures to reduce contamination;

(e)

the harvesting of head meat shall be carried out in accordance with a control system, recognized by the competent authority, to ensure the prevention of possible contamination of head meat. The system shall include at least:

(i)

all heads shall be visually checked for signs of contamination or damage and proper sealing before the harvesting of the head meat begins;

(ii)

head meat shall not be harvested from heads which have not been properly sealed, where the eyes are damaged or which were otherwise damaged in a way which might result in contamination of the head meat with central nervous tissue. Head meat shall also not be harvested from any head where contamination from such heads is suspected;

(iii)

without prejudice to general rules on hygiene, specific working instructions shall be in place to prevent contamination of the head meat during transport and harvesting, in particular where the seal is lost or the eyes damaged during the activity;

(f)

a sampling plan for the cutting plant using an appropriate laboratory test to detect central nervous system tissue shall be in place to verify that the measures to reduce contamination are properly implemented.]

[F1ANNEX V U.K. SPECIFIED RISK MATERIAL

9. Harvesting of bovine head meat in authorised cutting plants U.K.