Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Regulations 5(1)(b), (4) and (5)(b), 8(a) and 23(4)

SCHEDULE 3Storing, Rewrapping and Assembly of Meat Products

Part IRequirements for Ambient Stores

The occupier of an ambient store shall ensure that meat products are stored in rooms of solid construction which are easy to clean and disinfect.

Part IIRequirements for Rewrapping Centres

The occupier of premises approved in accordance with regulation 5(3)(a)(ii) shall comply with the appropriate requirements—

1.—(a) for premises in which meat products are rewrapped, the appropriate conditions in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2, Part I, paragraph 1(a), (b), (d), (e) and (f) and paragraph 2(a), (c), (i) and (j); or

(b)for premises in which unpackaged meat products are assembled for despatch elsewhere, the appropriate conditions in paragraph 1 of Part VII of Schedule 2.

2.—(a) The United Kingdom EC health mark or the Northern Ireland regional health mark must be applied to meat products at a rewrapping centre if the mark applied at the production establishment is removed or destroyed;

(b)If meat products are put together into batches for despatch from the centre without removal of their original wrapping and the mark applied at the production establishment remains intact, the centre need not apply the United Kingdom EC health mark or Northern Ireland regional health mark to further packaging;

(c)The United Kingdom EC health mark or Northern Ireland regional health mark must be applied to unpackaged meat products which have been stored under refrigerated conditions in a rewrapping centre. It shall be affixed to the last packaging applied at the centre, where such a last packaging is applied: and for the purposes of this Schedule “last packaging” means the final container or covering enclosing the meat products.

3.  Occupiers of rewrapping centres must maintain adequate records so that an authorised officer of the enforcement authority may trace a rewrapped meat product back to its production establishment.

Part IIIRequirements for Cold Stores

1.  The following provisions of Schedule 1 have effect, where appropriate, in relation to premises approved as a cold store—

(a)paragraphs 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 of Part I; and

(b)paragraphs Al, 2, 4, 5 and 6 and B1 and 2 of Part II.

2.  Every room in a cold store in which meat products are stored shall, in addition, have:

(a)insulation materials which are rot proof and odourless:

(b)a recording thermometer or recording telethermometer in or for each storage area;

(c)facilities for the hygienic handling and protection of meat products during loading and unloading.

3.  The occupier of the cold store shall ensure that meat products are:

(a)kept at the internal temperature indicated in accordance with regulation 11;

(b)loaded, unloaded and handled in a hygienic manner;

(c)adequately protected during storage from any risk of contamination;

(d)identifiable as to origin while they are being stored;

(e)made available for inspection on request by an authorised person.

4.  The occupier of the cold store shall ensure that—

(a)where unpackaged meat products are brought into the cold store they are not stored on wooden pallets;

(b)unpackaged meat products are stored separate from or at other times than packaged meat products.

5.  The occupier of any premises at which meat products are to be frozen shall ensure that they are frozen—

(a)without unavoidable delay (which shall not preclude an initial period of stabilisation where appropriate);

(b)in a hygienic manner, by a rapid method, using suitable equipment.