SCHEDULE 7 SPECIFIED RISK MATERIAL, MECHANICALLY SEPARATED MEAT AND SLAUGHTERING TECHNIQUES

9 Sheep and goats in a slaughterhouse
(1) When a sheep or goat is slaughtered in a slaughterhouse or the carcase of a sheep or goat is transported to a slaughterhouse following emergency slaughter elsewhere, the occupier of the slaughterhouse must remove all specified risk material (other than the spinal cord) as soon as is reasonably practicable after slaughter and in any event before post-mortem inspection.
(2) In the case of a sheep or goat aged over 12 months at slaughter, or which has a permanent incisor erupted through the gum, the occupier of the slaughterhouse must as soon as is reasonably practicable after slaughter—
(a) remove the spinal cord at the slaughterhouse before the post-mortem inspection; or
(b) send the meat to—
(i) a cutting plant authorised under paragraph 12(1)(b);
(ii) a cutting plant located in a country of the United Kingdom other than Northern Ireland and authorised under the corresponding provision applicable in that country; or
(iii) in accordance with point 10(1) of Annex V of the Community TSE Regulation, a cutting plant located in a member State, provided that the Food Standards Agency has entered into a written agreement with the competent authority of the receiving member State and the dispatch is in accordance with that agreement.
(3) In sub-paragraph (2)(b)(iii), “cutting plant” means premises—
(a) approved or conditionally approved as such under Article 31(2) of Regulation 882/2004; or
(b) operating as such under Article 4(5) of Regulation 853/2004 pending such approval.
(4) Contravention of this paragraph is an offence.