The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992

Alternative accommodation for dirty or dead animals

16.—(1) An official veterinary surgeon, or an inspector acting under the supervision of an official veterinary surgeon, may require the accommodation or alternative methods of operation and facilities referred to in sub-paragraphs 1(d) of Schedule 2 and 1(n) of Part II of Schedule 5 to be used for—

(a)the slaughtering and dressing of any animal which is brought into a slaughterhouse and which is known to be, or suspected of being, diseased or injured;

(b)the dressing of any slaughtered and bled animal which is brought into a slaughterhouse in accordance with regulation 19 below

and so long as any requirement to use alernative accommodation in such circumstances, or to prohibit the entry of a dirty animal in the circumstances set out in paragraph (2) below, is in effect, the licence in respect of the premises shall be treated as being altered by the addition of that requirement and the other provisions of the licence shall be subject to that requirement.

(2) An inspector or official veterinary surgeon may require the detention in a lairage, or may prohibit the slaughter of, any animal which in his opinion is so dirty as to be likely to prevent hygienic dressing operations if it is taken into the slaughterhall at that slaughterhouse.

(3) In the case of a slaughtered and bled animal which is brought into a slaughterhouse or farmed game processing facility in accordance with regulation 19 or sub-paragraph (1)(g) of Part 1 of Schedule 6, an inspector or official veterinary surgeon may give notice that in his opinion any such animal is so dirty as to be likely to prevent hygienic dressing operations if it is taken into the slaughterhall at that slaughterhouse or the dressing room at that farmed game processing facility, and if such notice is given the occupier of the premises shall not take the animal in.

(4) When an animal has been required to be detained in a lairage by an inspector or official veterinary surgeon under paragraph (2) above, the occupier of the slaughterhouse or farmed game handling facility shall, if the inspector or official veterinary surgeon requires, clean the animal and present it to an official veterinary surgeon for an ante-mortem inspection to be carried out in accordance with Schedule 8.

(5) No person shall, unless directed by an official veterinary surgeon or a veterinary officer, remove from a slaughterhouse an animal intended for slaughter for human consumption.