Table 2 Provision of EC Regulation 854/2004 on official controls of food of animal origin
Stage | Requirement | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Ante-mortem inspection | Must occur within 24 hours of animals arriving at slaughterhouse | Early identification of notifiable diseases |
Slaughter must occur within 24 hours of ante-mortem inspection occurring | Detection of conditions that cannot be detected at post-mortem inspection | |
Detection of welfare issues | ||
Post-mortem inspection | Occurs immediately following stunning, bleeding, scalding and evisceration of pigs | Preventing meat that is unfit for human consumption from entering the food chain |
Detection of disease lesions that pose a risk to public health, animal health or AW | ||
Responsibilities of Official Veterinarians | Ante-mortem or Food Chain Information inspection | Preventing meat unfit for human consumption from entering the food chain |
Final post-mortem MI of carcasses at least once daily | Ensuring high standards of AW are maintained before and during slaughter | |
Adherence to AW legal standards | ||
Removal, treatment and disposal of Specific Risk Material and other animal by-products | ||
Trichinella and prohibited substances residue testing | ||
Responsibilities of Veterinary Inspectors | Ante-mortem or Food Chain Information inspection, post-mortem inspection | Detection of disease lesions that pose a risk to public health, animal health or AW |
Responsibilities Of Official Auxiliaries | Preliminary ante-mortem inspection to identify ‘suspect’ animals for Official Veterinarian to inspect. | Preventing meat unfit for human consumption from entering the food chain |
Post-mortem inspection | ||
Responsibilities of Food Business Operators | Ensuring all necessary Food Chain Information has been provided by the producer | Ensure animals are fit for slaughter |