Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Part IIIConditions for the Handling, Storing and Marketing of Meat Products

General conditions

8.  A person shall not sell for human consumption from meat products premises approved under regulation 4 any meat product manufactured in Northern Ireland unless—

(a)it has been handled and stored in accordance with the appropriate requirements of Schedule 1, 2 and 3;

(b)it has been prepared from raw materials which complied with the requirements of Part III of Schedule 2; and

(c)it has been checked in accordance with regulation 13.

Wrapping etc.

9.  A person shall not—

(a)sell for human consumption from approved meat products premises any meat product manufactured in Northern Ireland which is intended for consignment to a relevant EEA State; or

(b)sell for human consumption any meat product handled or stored in Northern Ireland after 8th December 1998,

unless it has been wrapped, packaged or labelled at manufacturing premises in accordance with the provisions of Part V of Schedule 2 or at an approved rewrapping centre.

Health marking

10.—(1) A person shall not sell for human consumption from any meat products premises approved under regulation 4 any meat product manufactured or rewrapped in Northern Ireland and intended for consignment to a relevant EEA State unless it carries the United Kingdom EC health mark applied in accordance with the provisions of Part VI of Schedule 2.

(2) A person shall not consign to a relevant EEA State any meat product which was landed in Northern Ireland and stored but not rewrapped there unless it carries—

(a)if it was imported from Great Britain, a mark applied in accordance with the Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1994(1);

(b)if it was imported from a relevant EEA State, a mark applied in accordance with legislation having effect in that State and corresponding to the provisions of these Regulations relating to the United Kingdom EC health mark; and

(c)if it was imported from a third country, the health marking required under Directive 72/462/EEC(2).

(3) A person shall not sell for human consumption in Northern Ireland any meat product manufactured or rewrapped in Northern Ireland after 8th December 1998 unless it carries—

(a)the United Kingdom EC health mark; or

(b)the Northern Ireland regional health mark,

applied in accordance with the provisions of Part VI of Schedule 2.

Indication of storage temperature and durability

11.  A person shall not—

(a)sell for human consumption from approved meat products premises any packaged meat product which was manufactured in Northern Ireland after these Regulations come into force and is intended for consignment to a relevant EEA State, and which cannot be safely stored at an ambient temperature; or

(b)sell for human consumption any packaged meat product which was handled or stored in Northern Ireland after 8th December 1998 and which cannot be safely stored at an ambient temperature,

unless the packaging carries—

(i)a clear and legible indication of the temperature at which the product should be stored and transported; and

(ii)the appropriate durability indication in accordance with the Food Labelling Regulations. (Northern Ireland) 1996(3) or the Food Labelling Regulations 1996(4);

Storage and transportation conditions

12.—(1) A person shall not sell for human consumption from a meat products premises approved under regulation 4 any meat product manufactured in or imported into Northern Ireland after these Regulations come into force unless—

(a)it is or has been handled, stored and transported in accordance with Part VII of Schedule 2 and, after 8th December 1998, if it is stored in a cold store separate from the meat products premises from which it is sold, that store has been licensed under regulation 4 of the Fresh Meat Regulations;

(b)subject to sub-paragraph (c), it is accompanied during transportation by a health certificate, signed by an authorised officer of an enforcement authority at the time of loading, which is in the form and contains the particulars specified in Schedule 4 where—

(i)it contains meat from a slaughterhouse situated in a place or area which has been declared to be an infected place or area under the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(5);

(ii)it contains meat bearing a special mark under regulation 14(2)(c) or (d) of the Fresh Meat Regulations; or

(iii)it is intended to be sent to a relevant EEA State after transit through a third country, in which case it shall be in a sealed means of transport; and

(c)where—

(i)the product does not fall within sub-paragraph (b); and

(ii)the exemption specified in paragraph (2) does not apply,

it is accompanied during transportation by a commercial document which bears the official approval code of the meat products premises of origin and the name and address of the consignee.

(2) The exemption mentioned in paragraph (1)(c)(ii) is an exemption for meat products in hermetically sealed containers which has undergone one of the treatments referred to in paragraph B(a) of Part VIII of Schedule 2.

(3) An enforcement authority may make a reasonable charge for the issue by it of any health certificate pursuant to paragraph (1)(b).

(4) Any person who receives a consignment of meat products together with the commercial document shall keep that document, and make it available for inspection on request by an authorised officer of an enforcement authority.

(5) Any document which a person is required to keep under paragraph (4) shall be kept for at least one year after its receipt or, in the case of meat products which cannot be stored at an ambient temperature, for at least 6 months after the appropriate durability date of the meat product concerned.