Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Part IIIRequirements for Raw Materials to be Used for the Manufacture of Meat Products

1.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), meat which is to be used for the manufacture of meat products shall comply with the requirements of these Regulations and—

(a)must be fit for human consumption;

(b)must have come from an establishment approved in accordance with the meat Directives and must comply with those Directives and with any applicable Regulations;

(c)must have been transported in accordance with satisfactory hygiene conditions specified in the particular Directive applicable to that type of meat or in any applicable Regulations;

(d)must from the time of its arrival in the meat products premises until the time of its use, have been kept in accordance with the requirements of the meat Directives and any applicable Regulations; and

(e)must not include any of the prohibited parts.

(2) If meat which is to be used for the manufacture of meat products is of a description required to bear an EC health mark, it must bear that health mark.

(3) Meat obtained from premises granted derogations under Directive 91/498/EEC, or from the low throughput premises referred to in regulation 2 of the Poultry Meat Regulations or the Fresh Meat Regulations—

(a)may be held in approved meat products premises provided that it is stored separately from meat bearing an EC health mark; and

(b)may be used in the same place or at the same time as meat bearing an EC health mark, provided that, in the case of meat from derogated premises, an authorisation in accordance with regulation 18 has been obtained, but meat products obtained from such meat shall not bear the United Kingdom EC health mark.

2.  Meat products which are to be used as a raw material must comply with the requirements of these Regulations. Meat products imported in accordance with Directives 72/462/EEC(1) and 90/675/EEC(2) may be used as a raw material in the manufacture of meat products.

3.  Minced meat and meat preparations intended to be used in the production of meat products, unless produced in the manufacturing room referred to in paragraph 1(b) of Part I of this Schedule must—

(a)have come from premises approved in accordance with the Minced Meat Regulations and have been transported under satisfactory health conditions in accordance with those Regulations, and from the time of their arrival in the meat products premises until the time of their use have been kept in accordance with the requirements of those Regulations; or

(b)have come from premises registered under the Food Premises (Registration) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992(3), in which case the meat products produced shall not be marked with the United Kingdom EC health mark.

4.  The presence of products of animal origin, other than meat contained in the meat products, is authorised only if these products comply with the requirements laid down in the relevant Community legislation.

5.  This Part is without prejudice to the Specified Material legislation.