Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Approval of ambient stores, rewrapping centres and cold stores

5.—(1) A person shall not use any ambient store, rewrapping centre or cold store for the handling or storage of meat products unless—

(a)it is approved under this regulation or licensed under the Hygiene Regulations;

(b)it complies with the appropriate requirements of Schedule 3; and

(c)it complies with such further conditions relating to the hygiene of the premises as the Department may specify in the approval.

(2) A person shall not despatch any meat products to a relevant EEA State from an ambient store, rewrapping centre or cold store which is not approved under this regulation.

(3) The occupier of, or a person proposing to occupy, any ambient store, re wrapping centre or cold store for the purposes of paragraph (1) or (2) may apply in writing for the approval of those premises under this regulation.

(4) An approval authority, to which an application has been made under paragraph (3) shall approve the premises to which the application relates—

(a)as an ambient store for the storage of meat products if the authority is satisfied that the occupier will comply with the requirements of Part I of Schedule 3; and

(b)as a rewrapping centre for the handling or storage of meat products if the authority is satisfied that the occupier will comply with the requirements of Part II of Schedule 3; but

shall otherwise shall refuse to approve those premises for either of those purposes.

(5) An approval authority to which an application has been made under paragraph (3)—

(a)shall approve the premises to which the application relates as a cold store for the storage of meat products if they are already licensed under the Fresh Meat Regulations or the Poultry Meat Regulations as a cold store for the storage of fresh meat or fresh poultry meat; and

(b)if the premises are not already so licensed, shall approve them as a cold store for the storage of meat products if the authority is satisfied that they comply with the requirements of Part III of Schedule 3, but

otherwise shall refuse to approve the premises as a cold store for the storage of meat products.

(6) An approval authority to which an application has been made under paragraph (3) shall notify the applicant in writing of its decision in relation to the application and of the reasons for any refusal to grant approval under this regulation.