1. The British EC health mark shall consist of an oval mark containing in legible form and in printed capital letters the following information—
(a)in the upper part, the letters “UK” followed by the meat products premises code and in the lower part the letters “EEC”; or
(b)in the upper part the words “United Kingdom”, in the centre, the meat products premises code and in the lower part, the letters “EEC”.
2. The British national health mark shall consist of an oval surround containing in legible form and in printed capital letters the following information—
(a)in the upper part, the letters “UK” followed by the meat products premises code and in the lower part the letters “GB”; or
(b)in the upper part, the words “United Kingdom”, in the centre the meat products premises code and in the lower part the letters “GB”.
3. In the case of meat products from premises approved under regulation 4(4)(a)(ii), the British EC health mark or British national health mark (in addition to complying with paragraph 1 or 2 above) shall include the figure 8 and a hyphen, which shall precede the number which forms part of the premises approval code.
4. Subject to paragraph 6 below, meat products shall carry the British EC health mark or British national health mark in an easily visible place. Marking shall be carried out during or immediately after manufacture in the meat products premises or wrapping in a re-wrapping centre. The mark shall be legible, indelible and its characters easily distinguishable. The mark may be applied to the product or to the wrapping, if the meat product is individually wrapped, or to a label affixed to the wrapping in accordance with paragraph 7 below.
5. Subject to paragraph 6 below, where meat products marked in accordance with paragraph 4 are subsequently placed in a packaging, the health mark shall also be applied to the packaging. Where a meat product is individually wrapped and packaged, it shall be sufficient for the mark to be applied to the packaging.
6. The health marking of meat products in palletised consignments intended for further processing or wrapping in approved premises is not necessary provided that:
(a)the consignments containing the meat products bear the health mark on the external surface;
(b)the recipient premises maintain a separate record of the quantities, type and origin of meat products received in accordance with this paragraph;
(c)the destination and intended use of meat products are clearly indicated on the external surface of the outer packaging except when this is transparent.
However, where a consignment of wrapped products is contained in a transparent packaging, it is not necessary to health mark the packaging as long as the British EC health mark or British national health mark on the wrapped products is clearly visible through the packaging.
7. The British EC health mark or British national health mark may be applied to the product, wrapping or packaging by an ink stamp or by branding, or it may be printed on or applied to a label. If it is applied to the packaging, the mark shall be destroyed when the package is opened. Non-destruction of the mark is permissible only when the packaging is destroyed by being opened.
8. The mark may also be on an irremovable plate of resistant material complying with the hygiene requirements laid down in these Regulations.