Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011Show full title

CHAPTER I U.K. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROCESSING PLANTS AND CERTAIN OTHER PLANTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS

Section 1 U.K. General conditions

1. Processing plants shall meet the following requirements, for processing by pressure sterilisation or in accordance with the processing methods referred to in Article 15(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009: U.K.

(a)

Processing plants must not be situated on the same site as slaughterhouses or other establishments which have been approved or registered in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 or Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, unless the risks to public and animal health resulting from the processing of animal by-products, which originate from such slaughterhouses or other establishments, are mitigated by compliance with at least the following conditions:

(i)

the processing plant must be physically separated from the slaughterhouse or other establishment, where appropriate by locating the processing plant in a building that is completely separated from the slaughterhouse or other establishment;

(ii)

the following must be installed and operated in the processing plant:

• a conveyer system which links the processing plant to the slaughterhouse or other establishment and which may not be by-passed,

• separate entrances, reception bays, equipment and exits for both the processing plant and the slaughterhouse or establishment;

(iii)

measures must be taken to prevent the spreading of risks through the operation of personnel which is employed in the processing plant and in the slaughterhouse or other establishment;

(iv)

unauthorised persons and animals must not have access to the processing plant.

By way of derogation from points (i) to (iv), in the case of processing plants processing Category 3 material, the competent authority may authorise other conditions instead of those set out in those points, aimed at mitigating the risks to public and animal health, including the risks arising from the processing of Category 3 material, which originates from off-site establishments approved or registered in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 or Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

F1 ...

(b)

The processing plant must have a clean and unclean sector, adequately separated. The unclean sector must have a covered place to receive animal by-products and must be constructed in such a way that it is easy to clean and disinfect. Floors must be laid in such a way as to facilitate the draining of liquids;

(c)

The processing plant must have adequate facilities including lavatories, changing rooms and washbasins for staff;

(d)

The processing plant must have sufficient production capacity for hot water and steam for the processing of animal by-products;

(e)

The unclean sector must, if appropriate, contain equipment to reduce the size of animal by-products and equipment for loading the crushed animal by-products into the processing unit;

(f)

Where heat treatment is required, all installations must be equipped with:

(i)

measuring equipment to monitor temperature against time and, if applicable for the processing method used, pressure at critical points;

(ii)

recording devices to record continuously the results of these measurements in a way so that they remain accessible for the purpose of checks and official controls;

(iii)

an adequate safety system to prevent insufficient heating;

(g)

To prevent recontamination of the derived product by the introduction of animal by-products, there must be a clear separation between the area of the plant where incoming material for processing is unloaded and the areas set aside for the processing of that product and the storage of the derived product.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Annex 4 Ch. 1 Section 1 point 1(a) omitted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 13(38)(a)

2. The processing plant must have adequate facilities for cleaning and disinfecting the containers or receptacles in which animal by-products are received and the means of transport, other than ships, in which they are transported. U.K.

3. Adequate facilities must be provided for the disinfecting of vehicle wheels and the other parts of the vehicle, as appropriate, on leaving the unclean sector of the processing plant. U.K.

4. All processing plants must have a waste-water disposal system meeting the requirements set out by the competent authority in accordance with [F2 retained EU law]. U.K.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in Regulation substituted (E.W.S.) (31.12.2020) by The Animals, Aquatic Animal Health, Invasive Alien Species, Plant Propagating Material and Seeds (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1388), regs. 1(2)(c), 13(2)(a)

5. The processing plant must have its own laboratory or make use of the services of an external laboratory. The laboratory must be equipped to carry out necessary analyses and be approved by the competent authority on the basis of an assessment of the capacity of the laboratory to carry out those analyses, be accredited according to internationally recognised standards or be subject to regular controls by the competent authority, to assess the capacity of the laboratory to carry out those analyses. U.K.

6. If on the basis of a risk assessment, the volume of products treated requires the regular or permanent presence of the competent authority, the processing plants must have an adequately equipped lockable room for the exclusive use of the inspection service. U.K.

Section 2 U.K. Wastewater treatment

1. Processing plants processing Category 1 material and other premises where specified risk material is removed, slaughterhouses and processing plants processing Category 2 material shall have a pre-treatment process for the retention and collection of animal material as an initial step in the treatment of wastewater. U.K.

The equipment used in the pre-treatment process shall consist of drain traps or screens with apertures with a filter pore or a mesh size of no more than 6 mm in the downstream end of the process or equivalent systems that ensure that the solid particles in the wastewater passing through them are no more than 6 mm.

2. Wastewater from the premises as referred to in point 1 must enter a pre-treatment process which shall ensure that all wastewater has been filtered through the process before being drained off the premises. No grinding, maceration or any other processing or application of pressure shall be carried out which could facilitate the passage of solid animal material through the pre-treatment process. U.K.

3. All animal material retained in the pre-treatment process in premises as referred to in point 1 shall be collected and transported as Category 1 or Category 2 material, as appropriate, and disposed of in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009. U.K.

4. Wastewater having passed the pre-treatment process in premises referred to in point 1 and wastewater from other premises handling or processing animal by-products shall be treated in accordance with [F2 retained EU law], without restrictions in accordance with this Regulation. U.K.

5. In addition to the requirements laid down in point 4, the competent authority may oblige operators to treat wastewater originating in the unclean sector of processing plants and in plants or establishments carrying out intermediate operations with Category 1 material or Category 2 material or storing Category 1 material or Category 2 material, in accordance with conditions which ensure that risks from pathogens are mitigated. U.K.

6. Without prejudice to points 1 to 5, the disposal of animal by-products, including blood and milk, or derived products through the wastewater stream shall be prohibited. U.K.

However, Category 3 material comprising of centrifuge or separator sludge may be disposed of through the wastewater stream, provided that it has been subject to one of the treatments for centrifuge or separator sludge set out in Part III of Section 4 of Chapter II of Annex X hereto.

Section 3 U.K. Specific requirements for the processing of Category 1 and Category 2 materials

The layout of processing plants processing Category 1 and Category 2 materials must ensure the total separation of Category 1 material from Category 2 material from reception of the raw material until dispatch of the resulting derived product, unless a mixture of Category 1 material and Category 2 material is processed as Category 1 material.

Section 4 U.K. Specific requirements for the processing of Category 3 materials

The following requirements shall apply in addition to the general conditions set out in Section 1:

1.

Processing plants processing Category 3 materials shall not be located at the same site as processing plants processing Category 1 or Category 2 materials, unless located in a completely separate building.

2.

However, the competent authority may authorise the processing of Category 3 material on a site where handling or processing of Category 1 or Category 2 material takes place, if cross-contamination is prevented due to:

(a)

the layout of the premises, in particular the arrangements for the reception, and by way of the further handling of raw materials;

(b)

the layout and the management of the equipment used for processing, including the layout and the management of separate processing lines or of cleaning procedures which are excluding the propagation of any possible risks to public and animal health; and

(c)

the layout and the management of the areas for the temporary storage of the end products.

3.

Processing plants processing Category 3 material shall have in place an installation to check the presence of foreign bodies, such as packaging material or metallic pieces, in the animal by-products or derived products, if they are processing materials which are destined for feeding. Such foreign bodies shall be removed before or during processing.