The Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1994

Regulations 4(3)(a), 8(1)(d), 14(1)(a), (c)

SCHEDULE 8 HYGIENE REQUIREMENTS FOR SLAUGHTER AND THE HANDLING OF FRESH MEAT

1.—(a) Only live birds or rabbits may be brought into a slaughterhouse. The birds or rabbits shall, except in the case of slaughter according to a religious rite, be stunned and immediately slaughtered.

(b) Notwithstanding sub-paragraph (a) above, dead small wild game may be brought into a slaughterhouse as permitted by Article 3(1)(a) and (b)(ii) of Council Directive 92/45/EEC on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of game and the placing on the market of wild-game meat(1).

2.  Bleeding shall be completed and carried out in such a way that the blood cannot cause contamination outside the place of slaughter.

3.  Slaughtered birds shall be plucked completely before skinning or cutting and slaughtered rabbits shall be skinned immediately.

4.  Evisceration shall be carried out immediately in the case of total evisceration or within the period laid down in paragraph 4 of Part I of Schedule 9 in the case of deferred evisceration.Slaughtered birds or rabbits shall be opened in such a way that the cavities and all the relevant viscera can be inspected.For this purpose the viscera to be inspected may either be detected or left attached to the carcase by their natural connections.If detached, they shall be identifiable as belonging to a given carcase.

5.  After inspection, the viscera which has been removed shall be separated immediately from the carcase, and the parts unfit for human consumption removed at once.Viscera or parts of viscera remaining in the carcase shall, with the exception of the kidneys, be removed entirely if practicable, under satisfactory hygienic conditions.

6.  Meat shall not be cleaned by wiping with a cloth and the carcase shall not be filled with anything other than edible offal or neck offal from birds or rabbits slaughtered in the slaughterhouse which shall be wrapped in accordance with paragraph 2(c) of Schedule 13.

7.  The carcase shall not be cut into portions and the meat shall not be removed or subjected to any process prior to the post-mortem health inspection except with the consent of the official veterinary surgeon who may prescribe any other handling required for the purposes of the post-mortem health inspection.

8.  Detained meat, on the one hand, and meat declared unfit for human consumption in accordance with paragraph 1 of Part II of Schedule 9 or not allowed for human consumption in accordance with paragraph 2 of that Part on the other, and feathers and waste shall be removed as soon as possible to the rooms, facilities or containers referred to in paragraph 4(d) of Schedule 1 and paragraph 1(e) and (f) of Schedule 2 and shall be handled in such a way so as to ensure that contamination is kept to a minimum.

9.  After inspection and evisceration, fresh meat shall immediately be cleaned and chilled hygienically to ensure compliance with the temperature laid down in Schedule 12 as soon as possible.

10.—(a) Carcases of birds to be subjected to an immersion chilling process in accordance with the process described in paragraph 11 below shall, immediately after evisceration, be thoroughly washed by spraying and immersed without delay. The spraying shall be carried out by means of equipment which washes both the internal and external surfaces of the carcases efficiently and in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (b) below.

(b) For carcases weighing—

(i) not more than 2.5 kg, at least 1.5 litres of water shall be used per carcase,

(ii) between 2.5 kg and 5 kg, at least 2.5 litres of water shall be used per carcase,

(iii) 5 kg or more, at least 3.5 litres of water shall be used per carcase.

11.  The immersion chilling process shall meet the following requirements—

(a) the carcases shall pass through one or more tanks of water or of ice and water, the contents of which are continuously renewed. Only a system whereby the carcases are constantly propelled by mechanical means through a counterflow of water shall be used;

(b) the temperature of the water in the tank or tanks measured at the points of entry and exit of the carcases shall not be more than +16°C and +4°C respectively;

(c) it shall be carried out in such a way that the temperature specified in Schedule 12 is reached in the shortest possible time;

(d) the minimum flow of water throughout the whole chilling process referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph shall be—

(i) 2.5 litres per carcase weighing 2.5 kg or less,

(ii) 4 litres per carcase weighing between 2.5 kg and 5 kg,

(iii) 6 litres per carcase weighing 5 kg or more;

(e) where there are several tanks, the inflow of fresh water and the outflow of used water in each tank shall be regulated in such a way as to progressively decrease in the direction of movement of the carcases, the fresh water being divided between the tanks in such a way that the flow of water through the last tank is not less than—

(i) 1 litre per carcase weighing 2.5 kg or less,

(ii) 1.5 litres per carcase weighing between 2.5 kg and 5 kg,

(iii) 2 litres per carcase weighing 5 kg or more.

The water used for first filling the tanks shall not be included in the calculation of these quantities;

(f) the carcases shall not remain in the first part of the apparatus or the first tank for more than half an hour or in the rest of the apparatus or the other tank or tanks for longer than is strictly necessary;

(g) all necessary precautions shall be taken to ensure that, in the event of interruptions of the process, the transit time laid down in the sub-paragraph (f) of this paragraph is complied with; whenever there has been a stoppage of the equipment, the official veterinary surgeon shall satisfy himself prior to re-setting it in motion that the carcases still meet the requirements of these Regulations and are fit for human consumption and, if such is not the case, ensure that they are transported as soon as possible to the facilities provided for in paragraph 4(d) of Schedule 1;

(h) each piece of equipment shall be entirely emptied, cleaned and disinfected whenever this is necessary at the end of the period of work and at least once a day;

(i) calibrated control equipment shall be used that permits adequate and continued supervision of the measuring and recording of—

(i) the water consumption during spray-washing before immersion,

(ii) the temperature of the water in the tank or tanks at the points of entry and exit of the carcases,

(iii) the water consumption during immersion,

(iv) the number of carcases in each of the weight-ranges listed in sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) of this paragraph and paragraph 10 above;

(j) the results of the various checks carried out by the producer shall be kept and submitted on request to the official veterinary surgeon;

(k) the correct functioning of the chilling plant and its effect on the hygiene level shall be evaluated by scientific microbiological methods, the contamination of the carcases with total bacteria and enterobacteria being compared before and after immersion.Such comparison shall be carried out when the plant is first brought into use and after that periodically and in any case each time any alterations are made to the plant.The functioning of the various parts shall be regulated so as to ensure a satisfactory standard of hygiene;

(l) notwithstanding the preceding sub-paragraphs of this paragraph, in the case of poultry slaughtered by the Jewish method for the food of Jews, salting and subsequent washing off of the salt, carried out under the supervision of the Local Board of Shechita or, in the absence of any such Board, of a Committee appointed for the purpose by the local Jewish congregation established in accordance with Jewish law, may take place immediately after the carcases emerge from the first part of the equipment or, where the equipment comprises more than one tank, the first tank.In such cases the period in the first part of the equipment or first tank may be extended to 40 minutes.Any immersion of the carcases in water for the purposes of soaking, salting and subsequent washing off of the salt shall comply with the requirements of sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) of this paragraph.

12.  Adequate arrangements shall be made so as to ensure that until the inspection has been completed, it shall not be possible for carcases and offal not inspected to come into contact with carcases and offal already inspected, and that there is no removal, cutting or further treatment of the carcase.

13.  Adequate arrangements shall be made so as to ensure that it shall not be possible for meat detained or declared unfit for human consumption or inedible by-products to come into contact with meat declared fit for human consumption, and the former shall be placed as soon as possible in special rooms or containers located and laid out in such a way as to avoid any contamination of other fresh meat.

14.  The drawing and trussing, handling, further treatment and transport of meat, including offal, shall be performed in accordance with all hygiene requirements.Where such meat is packaged, the requirement in paragraph 1(d) of Schedule 2 and the conditions laid down in Schedule 13 shall be complied with.Packaged meat shall be stored in a separate room from exposed fresh meat.

(1)

OJ No. L268, 14.9.92, p. 35.