have a sufficient number of rooms, appropriate to the operations being carried out;

have a separate room for evisceration and further dressing, including the addition of seasonings to whole poultry carcases, unless the competent authority authorises separation in time of these operations within a specific slaughterhouse on a case-by-case basis;

ensure separation in space or time of the following operations:

(i)

stunning and bleeding;

(ii)

plucking or skinning, and any scalding;

and

(iii)

dispatching meat;

(d)

have installations that prevent contact between the meat and the floors, walls and fixtures;

and

(e)

have slaughter lines (where operated) that are designed to allow a constant progress of the slaughter process and to avoid cross-contamination between the different parts of the slaughter line. Where more than one slaughter line is operated in the same premises, there must be adequate separation of the lines to prevent cross-contamination.

They must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect.

The equipment for washing hands used by the staff engaged in handling exposed meat must have taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination.

There must be lockable facilities for the refrigerated storage of detained meat and separate lockable facilities for the storage of meat declared unfit for human consumption.

There must be a separate place with appropriate facilities for the cleaning, washing and disinfection of:

transport equipment such as crates;

and

means of transport.

These places and facilities are not compulsory for (b) if officially authorised places and facilities exist nearby.

They must have an adequately equipped lockable facility or, where needed, room for the exclusive use of the veterinary service.

CHAPTER III: U.K. REQUIREMENTS FOR CUTTING PLANTS

1. Food business operators must ensure that cutting plants handling meat from poultry or lagomorphs: U.K.

are constructed so as to avoid contamination of meat, in particular by:

(i)

allowing constant progress of the operations;

(ii)

ensuring separation between the different production batches;

have rooms for the separate storage of packaged and exposed meat, unless stored at different times or in such a way that the packaging material and the manner of storage cannot be a source of contamination for the meat;

have cutting rooms equipped to ensure compliance with the requirements laid down in Chapter V;

(d)

have equipment for washing hands used by staff handling exposed meat with taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination;

and

(e)

have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect.

2. If the following operations are undertaken in a cutting plant: U.K.

the evisceration of geese and ducks reared for the production of ‘ foie gras ’ , which have been stunned, bled and plucked on the fattening farm;

the evisceration of delayed eviscerated poultry,

food business operators must ensure that separate rooms are available for that purpose.

CHAPTER IV: U.K. SLAUGHTER HYGIENE

Food business operators operating slaughterhouses in which poultry or lagomorphs are slaughtered must ensure compliance with the following requirements.

Meat from animals other than those referred to in (b) must not be used for human consumption if they die otherwise than by being slaughtered in the slaughterhouse.

Only live animals intended for slaughter may be brought into the slaughter premises, with the exception of:

(i)

delayed eviscerated poultry, geese and ducks reared for the production of ‘ foie gras ’ and birds that are not considered as domestic but which are farmed as domestic animals, if slaughtered at the farm in accordance with Chapter VI;

(ii)

farmed game slaughtered at the place of production in accordance with Section III;

and

(iii)

small wild game in accordance with Section IV, Chapter III.

Slaughterhouse operators must follow the instructions of the competent authority to ensure that ante-mortem inspection is carried out under suitable conditions.

Where establishments are approved for the slaughter of different animal species or for the handling of farmed ratites and small wild game, precautions must be taken to prevent cross contamination by separation either in time or in space of the operations carried out on the different species. Separate facilities for the reception and storage of carcases of farmed ratites slaughtered at the farm and for small wild game must be available.

Animals brought into the slaughter room must be slaughtered without undue delay.

Stunning, bleeding, skinning or plucking, evisceration and other dressing must be carried out without undue delay in such a way that contamination of the meat is avoided. In particular, measures must be taken to prevent the spillage of digestive tract contents during evisceration.

Slaughterhouse operators must follow the instructions of the competent authority to ensure that the post-mortem inspection is carried out under suitable conditions, and in particular that slaughtered animals can be inspected properly.

After post-mortem inspection:

parts unfit for human consumption must be removed as soon as possible from the clean sector of the establishment;

meat detained or declared unfit for human consumption and inedible by-products must not come into contact with meat declared fit for human consumption;

and

viscera or parts of viscera remaining in the carcase, except for the kidneys, must be removed entirely, if possible, and as soon as possible, unless otherwise authorised by the competent authority.

After inspection and evisceration, slaughtered animals must be cleaned and chilled to not more than 4 °C as soon as possible, unless the meat is cut while warm.

When carcases are subjected to an immersion chilling process, account must be taken of the following.

Every precaution must be taken to avoid contamination of carcases, taking into account parameters such as carcase weight, water temperature, volume and direction of water flow and chilling time.

Equipment must be entirely emptied, cleaned and disinfected whenever this is necessary and at least once a day.

10.

Sick or suspect animals, and animals slaughtered in application of disease eradication or control programmes, must not be slaughtered in the establishment except when permitted by the competent authority. In that event, slaughter must be performed under official supervision and steps taken to prevent contamination; the premises must be cleaned and disinfected before being used again.

CHAPTER V: U.K. HYGIENE DURING AND AFTER CUTTING AND BONING

Food business operators must ensure that cutting and boning of meat of poultry and lagomorphs takes place in accordance with the following requirements.

The work on meat must be organised in such a way as to prevent or minimise contamination. To this end, food business operators must ensure in particular that:

meat intended for cutting is brought into the workrooms progressively as needed;

during cutting, boning, trimming, slicing, dicing, wrapping and packaging, the temperature of the meat is maintained at not more than 4 °C by means of an ambient temperature of 12 °C or an alternative system having an equivalent effect;

and

where the premises are approved for the cutting of meat of different animal species, precautions are taken to avoid cross-contamination, where necessary by separation of the operations on the different species in either space or time.

However, meat may be boned and cut prior to reaching the temperature referred to in point 1(b) when the cutting room is on the same site as the slaughter premises, provided that it is transferred to the cutting room either:

directly from the slaughter premises;