Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627Show full title

Article 28 Practical arrangements for post-mortem inspection of wild game

1. The official veterinarian shall verify that a health certificate conforming to the specimen set out in the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 636/2014, or the declaration(s) in accordance with point 8(b) of Chapter II of Section IV of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, accompanies unskinned large wild game transported to the game-handling establishment from the territory of another Member State. The official veterinarian shall take into account the content of that certificate or declaration(s).

2. During post-mortem inspection, the official veterinarian shall carry out:

(a) a visual inspection of the carcase, its cavities and, where appropriate, organs with a view to:

(i)

detecting any abnormalities not resulting from the hunting process. For this purpose, the diagnosis may be based on any information that the trained person has provided concerning the behaviour of the animal before killing;

(ii)

checking that death was not due to reasons other than hunting;

(b) an investigation of organoleptic abnormalities;

(c) palpation and incisions of organs, where appropriate;

(d) where there are serious grounds for suspecting the presence of residues or contaminants, an analysis by sampling of residues not resulting from the hunting process, including environmental contaminants. Where a more extensive inspection is made on the basis of such suspicions, the veterinarian shall wait until that inspection has been concluded before assessing all the wild game killed during a specific hunt, or those parts suspected of showing the same abnormalities;

(e) examination for characteristics indicating that the meat presents a health risk, including:

(i)

abnormal behaviour or disturbance of the general condition of the live animal, as reported by the hunter;

(ii)

the generalised presence of tumours or abscesses affecting different internal organs or muscles;

(iii)

arthritis, orchitis, pathological changes in the liver or the spleen, inflammation of the intestines or the umbilical region;

(iv)

the presence of foreign bodies not resulting from the hunting process in the body cavities, stomach, intestines or urine, where the pleura or peritoneum are discoloured (when relevant viscera are present);

(v)

the presence of parasites;

(vi)

formation of a significant amount of gas in the gastro-intestinal tract with discolouring of the internal organs (when these viscera are present);

(vii)

significant abnormalities of colour, consistency or odour of muscle tissue or organs;

(viii)

aged open fractures;

(ix)

emaciation and/or general or localised oedema;

(x)

recent pleural or peritoneal adhesions;

(xi)

other obvious extensive changes, such as putrefaction.

3. Where the official veterinarian so requires, the vertebral column and the head shall be split lengthwise.

4. In the case of small wild game not eviscerated immediately after killing, the official veterinarian shall carry out a post-mortem inspection on a representative sample of animals from the same source. Where inspection reveals a disease transmissible to humans or any of the characteristics listed in point (e) in paragraph 2, the official veterinarian shall carry out more checks on the entire batch to determine whether it shall be declared unfit for human consumption or whether each carcase shall be inspected individually.

5. The official veterinarian may perform any further cuts and inspections of the relevant parts of the animals that are necessary to reach a final diagnosis. If an assessment cannot be made on the basis of the practical arrangements in paragraph 2, additional investigations shall be carried out in a laboratory.

6. In addition to the cases provided for in Article 45, meat presenting during post-mortem inspection any of the characteristics listed in point (e) in paragraph 2 shall be declared unfit for human consumption.