The Specified Risk Material Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Part VI Transport and disposal of specified risk material

Procedure for bringing in specified risk material from Great Britain, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands

20.—(1) No person shall bring specified risk material into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands—

(a) unless it is stained in accordance with legislation having effect in Great Britain, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands and corresponding to the provisions of these Regulations relating to staining;

(b) it is exempt from the requirement to stain under that legislation by virtue of provisions which correspond to regulation 12; or

(c) it is transported in a sealed vehicle in accordance with the provisions of legislation having effect in Great Britain, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands corresponding to the provisions of regulation 17(1).

(2) Any person bringing specified risk material into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands shall immediately transport it to one of the destinations specified in regulations 15(1)(a) or 21(1).

Consignment of specified risk material

21.—(1) Once specified risk material has been removed from the carcase of a ruminant animal and treated in accordance with these regulations, or, in the case of specified solid waste, recovered from the drainage system, the person responsible for its removal or recovery shall, without unreasonable delay, send it directly to—

(a) a collection centre;

(b) a rendering plant;

(c) premises referred to in regulation 12(a);

(d) an approved incinerator; or

(e) premises licenced for the purpose of Article 10 of the Specified Risk Material Order (Northern Ireland) 1997.

(2) Any person consigning specified risk material from the place where it was removed from the carcase of a ruminant animal or recovered from a drainage system shall keep a consignment record for two years from the date of consignment.

Approved collection centres

22.—(1) Upon the Department being satisfied that any premises are properly equipped and have suitable facilities for storing and handling specified risk material in a manner which keeps it separate from other animal material, it may approve those premises as a collection centre for the purposes of storing or handling specified risk material.

(2) A person shall not take delivery of specified risk material at any premises or operate any premises for the storage or handling of specified risk material unless they have been approved for the purposes of paragraph (1).

(3) Any person delivering specified risk material to a collection centre shall state in writing to the occupier of the collection centre concerned the place from which the specified risk material was collected for delivery to that collection centre.

(4) The operator of a collection centre shall make a consignment record on arrival of specified risk material at the collection centre and shall keep that record for two years from the date of arrival.

(5) The operator of a collection centre shall ensure that—

(a) without prejudice to the storage requirements of regulation 28, all specified risk material in the collection centre is kept separate from all other animal material; and

(b) all equipment used in relation to the collection or storage of specified risk material that comes into contact with such material is thoroughly washed and disinfected before he uses the equipment or allows it to be used in relation to the collection or storage of any other material.

(6) A person shall not consign specified risk material from a collection centre except to an approved incinerator or a rendering plant.

(7) Any person who consigns specified risk material in accordance with paragraph (6) shall keep a consignment record for two years from the date of consignment.

Approved incinerators

23.—(1) A person shall not operate an incinerator to incinerate specified risk material unless—

(a) the incinerator has been approved as having suitable facilities to incinerate specified risk material in accordance with paragraph (4);

(b) he disposes of the ash in a way that does not pose a risk to human or animal health; and

(c) the incinerator is equipped with a refractory lining.

(2) Any person delivering specified risk material to an improved incinerator shall state in writing to the operator of the incinerator concerned the place from which the specified risk material was collected for delivery to that incinerator.

(3) The operator of an approved incinerator shall make a consignment record on the arrival of specified risk material at the premises and shall keep that record for two years from the date of arrival.

(4) The operator of an approved incinerator shall—

(a) incinerate all specified risk material delivered to him to a standard specified in the approval and in such a way that all moisture is removed and the material is reduced to ash; and

(b) ensure that the ash is disposed of in accordance with the terms of the approval.

(5) A person shall not remove specified risk material from an approved incinerator unless it is completely incinerated.

Approved rendering plants

24.—(1) Upon the Department being satisfied that any premises have the facilities specified in Part I of Schedule 1 sufficient to ensure that specified risk material is separated into protein and tallow by one of the processes specified in Part II of that Schedule, it may approve those premises and facilities as a rendering plant for the purposes of receiving and processing specified risk material in such a manner.

(2) A person shall not take delivery of specified risk material at any premises, or operate any premises for the purposes of rendering unless it has been approved as a rendering plant for the purposes of paragraph (1).

(3) Any person delivering specified risk material to a rendering plant shall state in writing to the operator of the rendering plant concerned the place from which that specified risk material was collected for delivery to that rendering plant.

(4) The operator of a rendering plant shall make a consignment record on the arrival of specified risk material at the premises and shall keep that record for two years from the date of arrival.

(5) Without prejudice to the storage requirements of regulation 28, the operator of a rendering plant shall ensure that all specified risk material in the rendering plant is kept and stored separately from all other material, handled separately from other material and rendered separately from other material.

(6) The operator of a rendering plant shall ensure that specified risk material is processed at the plant without undue delay and in any event within seven days of delivery using one of the methods described in Part II of Schedule 1.

(7) Except as permitted by paragraph (8), the operator of an approved rendering plant shall ensure that any equipment used for processing specified risk material is used only for that purpose.

(8) The Department may, on application by the operator of an approved rendering plant, consent to the use by that person or his employees of equipment previously used for processing specified risk material for such other purposes as may be specified in the consent, provided that, before use of such other purposes, the equipment concerned has been cleaned to the satisfaction of the Department in accordance with any conditions specified in that consent.

(9) After specified risk material has been processed and separated into protein and tallow in any rendering plant the operator of the plant shall ensure that—

(a) all protein is placed in a container labelled “specified risk material” and disposed of—

(i) by burial at a landfill site for which there exists a current disposal licence granted under Article 7 of the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978(1);

(ii) as specified in the approval granted in relation to the plant for the purposes of this regulation; or

(iii) by sending to an approved incinerator; and

(b) all tallow is placed in a container labelled “specified risk material” and—

(i) by burial at a landfill site for which there exists a current disposal licence granted under Article 7 of the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978(2);

(ii) (in the case of tallow derived from class II specified risk material) sent to premises licenced under Article 10 of the Specified Risk Material Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 either for treatment by thermal hydrolysis at hyperbaric pressure or for use in such other process as is specified in the approval of those premises;

(iii) disposed of as specified in the approval relating to the rendering plant; or

(iv) sent to an approved incinerator.

(10) Protein and tallow produced from animal material, other than specified risk material, from scheme animals shall be disposed of by burning in an approved incinerator and for this purpose regulation 23 shall apply to such material as if it were specified risk material.

(11) The operator of a rendering plant shall keep a consignment record for two years in relation to all protein and tallow consigned by him for disposal under paragraph (9) or (10).

(12) The operator of a rendering plant shall ensure that all containers, receptacles and vehicles which have been used for the transport of specified risk material are cleaned, washed and disinfected before they leave the premises.

(13) A person shall not—

(a) move from the unclean section of a rendering plant (as specified by the occupier in accordance with paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 1) into the clean section without first changing his working clothes and footwear or disinfecting the latter; or

(b) take equipment or utensils from the unclean section into the clean section unless the equipment or utensils are first washed and disinfected.

(14) The operator of a rendering plant shall ensure that appropriate systematic measures are taken to control birds, rodents, insects and other vermin on the premises.

(15) The operator of an approved rendering plant shall ensure that the premises comprising the plant and equipment used therein in connection with the rendering of any animal material are kept in a good state of repair and that, in particular, measuring equipment so used is calibrated at regular intervals.

Veterinary or laboratory premises, etc.

25.—(1) A person shall not transport specified risk material to premises referred to in regulation 12(a) unless the specified risk material is in a container marked with—

(a) the words “specified risk material”;

(b) its place of destination; and

(c) the name of the person to whom it is being sent.

(2) Any person delivering specified risk material to premises referred to in regulation 12(a) shall state in writing to the consignee the place from which the specified risk material was collected for delivery.

(3) The consignee shall make a consignment record on the arrival of specified risk material at the premises and shall keep that record for two years from the date of arrival.

(4) The consignee shall not dispose of or otherwise consign specified risk material delivered to the premises except to other premises referred to in regulation 12(a) or to premises referred to in regulation 21, in which case he shall keep a consignment record for two years.

(5) When any specified risk material is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was delivered in accordance with this regulation, the consignee shall—

(a) ensure that it is destroyed on the premises to which it was delivered by incineration or is consigned to premises specified in regulation 21 for destruction;

(b) ensure (where specified risk material is consigned for destruction in accordance with sub-paragraph (a)) that the specified risk material is stained blue before consignment; and

(c) keep a record for two years of the place and method of destruction.

(6) For the purposes of this regulation, the “consignee” is the occupier of premises specified in regulation 12(a) to which specified risk material is delivered.

Power to give directions

26.—(1) If the Department is satisfied that specified risk material cannot be disposed of under the provisions of these Regulations, whether for reasons of mechanical breakdown of equipment or otherwise, it may give written directions to the owner or person in control of the specified risk material for its disposal in a safe manner.

(2) In the event of any person not complying with directions given in paragraph (1), the Department may make arrangements for the disposal of the specified risk material at the expense of the owner.

Transport

27.—(1) The person in control of a vehicle transporting specified risk material shall ensure that it is conveyed either in an impervious container which contains nothing but specified risk material or in a part of the vehicle which is impervious and contains nothing but specified risk material and which in either case is kept covered at all times except when necessary for loading or unloading or examination by an authorised officer of an enforcement authority.

(2) Any person transporting specified risk material shall ensure that the part of the vehicle in which specified risk material has been conveyed is thoroughly washed and disinfected before any food is subsequently placed in that part of the vehicle.

(3) In this regulation the expression “vehicle” means, in any case in which specified risk material is conveyed in a bulk container, that container.

(4) This regulation shall not apply to the carcase of a sheep or goat transported in accordance with regulation 17.

Storage

28.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a person shall not store specified risk material in the same room as any food.

(2) The requirement in paragraph (1) shall not apply where an official veterinary surgeon, inspector or an authorised officer of the Department has approved the storage of specified risk material in the same room as any food, on being satisfied that the arrangements for storage will ensure the adequate separation of the specified risk material from the food.

(3) A person shall not store specified risk material otherwise than in an impervious container which—

(a) contains nothing but specified risk material;

(b) is labelled as containing specified risk material;

(c) is not left uncovered when containing specified risk material; and

(d) after use for such storage is thoroughly cleansed and disinfected before being used for any purpose in relation to the storage of food.

(1)

S.I. 1978/1049 (N.I. 19)

(2)

1990 c. 43