S.I. No. 126/1995 - European Communities (Meat Products and Other Products of Animal Origin) Regulations, 1995

( c ) the health mark may be applied to the product, wrapping or packaging by an ink stamp or by branding, or it may be printed on or applied to a label. If it is applied to the packaging, the mark must be destroyed when the package is opened. Non-destruction of this mark may be tolerated only when the packaging is destroyed by being opened. In the case of products in hermetically sealed containers, the mark must be indelibly applied either to the lid or to the can;

( d ) the health mark may also consist of an irremovable plate of resistant material complying with all the hygiene requirements and bearing all relevant information specified in subparagraphs (a) and (b).

CHAPTER VII Storage and Transport

CHAPTER VIII Special Conditions for Pasteurised or Sterilised Products in Hermetically Sealed Containers

A. In addition to the conditions laid down in the First Schedule, establishments manufacturing pasteurised or sterilised products in hermetically sealed containers

( a ) a device for conveying empty cans hygienically to the work room;

( b ) equipment enabling cans to be thoroughly cleaned immediately before filling;

( c ) equipment for washing containers in potable water hot enough to remove grease after they have been hermetically sealed and before retorting;

( d ) a suitable room, area or installation for cooling and drying containers after heat treatment;

( e ) facilities for the incubation of samples taken from meat products packed in hermetically sealed containers;

( f ) adequate facilities for checking whether containers are hermetically sealed and undamaged;

( g ) in rooms or areas deemed necessary by an authorised officer, indicating thermometers or recording thermometers or recording telethermometers;

( a ) hermetically sealed containers are removed from the heating equipment at a sufficiently high temperature to ensure rapid evaporation of humidity and are not touched by hand until completely dry;

( b ) containers in which gas appears to be present undergo a further examination;

( c ) the thermometers, recording thermometers or recording telethermometers are checked against calibrated thermometers or telethermometers;

( d ) containers are:

• (i) rejected if damaged or badly made;

• (ii) rejected or cleaned if they are dirty and, in the case of cans, thoroughly cleaned immediately before filling, by means of the cleaning equipment referred to in paragraph 1 (b); the use of stagnant water is not authorised;

• (iii) if necessary, drained for a sufficiently long time after cleaning and before filling;

• (iv) if necessary, washed in potable water, sufficiently hot to remove grease if appropriate, after they have been hermetically sealed and before retorting, by means of the equipment referred to in paragraph 1 (c);

• (v) cooled, after heating, in water meeting the requirements of paragraph (e) in B;

• (vi) handled, before and after heat treatment, in such a way that any damage or contamination is avoided.

B. The owner or person in charge of an establishment manufacturing meat products in hermetically sealed containers must also check by sampling that:

( a ) (i) a process is applied to meat products intended for storing at ambient temperature which results in an Fc value equal to or exceeding 3.00, unless the same stability of the product has been obtained by curing, or

• (ii) that a heat treatment procedure is applied which is at least equivalent to pasteurisation, the parameters being approved by an authorised officer;

( b ) empty containers meet production standards;

( c ) checks on the daily output are carried out at intervals determined in advance, to ensure the efficacy of the sealing. To this end, suitable equipment must be available for examining perpendicular sections of the seams of the sealed containers;

( d ) the necessary checks are carried out, using in particular control markers to ensure that the containers have undergone adequate heat treatment;

( e ) the necessary checks are carried out to ensure that the cooling water contains a residual level of chlorine after use. A derogation from this requirement, may be granted, if the water fulfils the requirements of the European Communities (Quality of Water intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 81 of 1988 );

( f ) seven-day incubation tests at 37°C or 10-day incubation tests at 35°C are carried out on preserved meat products in hermetically sealed containers which have undergone heat treatment;

( g ) pasteurised products in hermetically sealed containers satisfy criteria recognised by the Minister.

C. ( a ) The Minister may approve the addition of certain substances to the water used in retorts in order to prevent corrosion of cans and to soften and disinfect the water;

( b ) an authorised officer may allow the use of recirculated water for cooling heat-processed containers. Such water must be purified in accordance with the terms of the European Communities (Quality of Water intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 81 of 1988 );

( c ) the recirculated water shall circulate in closed circuit so that it cannot be used for other purposes. However, where there is no risk of contamination, the water used for cooling containers and water from retorts may be used at the end of a working period for cleaning floors.

CHAPTER IX Special Conditions for Meat-based Prepared Meals

In addition to the general conditions in the First Schedule and in Chapters I, II and III of this Schedule:

• (i) either be immediately mixed with the other ingredients; in that event the time during which the temperature of the meat product is between 10°C and 63°C must be kept to a minimum;

• (ii) or be refrigerated to 10°C or less before being mixed with the other ingredients;

( b ) the meat product and the prepared meal must be refrigerated to an internal temperature of + 10°C or less within a period of not more than two hours after the end of cooking and to the storage temperature as soon as possible. However, an authorised officer may authorise the establishment to derogate from the two-hour period where a longer period is justified for reasons connected with the production technology employed, provided that the safety of the end product is guaranteed;

( c ) the prepared meal must, where appropriate, be frozen or quick-frozen immediately after cooling;

THIRD SCHEDULE

Specific Hygiene Standards for the Manufacture of other Products of Animal Origin

CHAPTER I General Conditions

The premises may be used for the production of products not intended for human consumption only under the following conditions:

( a ) raw materials unfit for human consumption must be stored in a completely separate room or separate reception area;

( b ) they must be processed in separate rooms using separate installations and equipment, except where the processing takes place in completely enclosed installation or equipment used exclusively for this purpose;

( c ) the final products from these raw materials must be stored in a different room or separate tanks which are labelled appropriately and must not go for human consumption.

CHAPTER II Special Conditions for Rendered Animal Fats, Greaves and By-products

In addition to the conditions in the First Schedule, the following conditions apply:

A. Standards applicable to establishments collecting or processing raw materials

( a ) a cold store, unless the raw materials are collected and rendered within the time limits laid down in B.— - paragraph (3) (b);

( b ) a room or place to receive raw materials;

( c ) an installation to facilitate the visual inspection of raw materials by an authorised officer;

( d ) if appropriate, an installation to crush raw materials;

( e ) equipment for the rendering of raw materials by heat or pressure or some other appropriate method;

( f ) containers or tanks in which the fat can be kept in liquid state;

( g ) apparatus for plastification or crystallisation of the fat to facilitate market preparation and packaging, unless the establishment dispatches liquid rendered animal fat only;

( h ) a dispatch room, unless the establishment dispatches melted animal fat only by means of tankers;

( i ) watertight containers for the containment and removal of raw materials unfit for human consumption;

( j ) if appropriate, suitable equipment for the preparation of products consisting of rendered animal fat mixed with other foodstuffs and/or seasonings;

( k ) if greaves are intended for human consumption, suitable facilities ensuring hygienic collection, wrapping and packaging and storage under the conditions laid down in B. — paragraph (9).

B. Additional hygiene requirements relating to the preparation of rendered animal fat, greaves and by-products

( b ) by way of derogation from subparagraph (a), raw materials may be stored and transported unrefrigerated provided that they are rendered within twelve hours after the day on which they were obtained;

( c ) by way of derogation from subparagraph (a), raw materials collected at retail shops or in premises adjacent to sales points, where the cutting and the storage of meat or poultrymeat is performed for the sole purpose of supplying the final consumer directly, may be used for the preparation of rendered animal fat, provided they are in satisfactory hygienic condition and properly packed. When the raw materials are collected daily the temperature requirements laid down in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) must be complied with. If the raw materials are not collected daily, they must be refrigerated immediately after they have been obtained.

• (i) when rendered at a temperature of 70°C or less: at a temperature of less than 7°C for a period not exceeding 24 hours or at -18°C or lower;

• (ii) when rendered at a temperature of more than 70°C and having a moisture content of 10 per cent (m/m) or more:

( a ) at a temperature of less than 7°C for a period not exceeding 48 hours or at a time/temperature ratio offering an equivalent guarantee,

( b ) at -18°C, or lower;

• (iii) when rendered at a temperature of more than 70°C and having a moisture content of less than 10 per cent (m/m): no specific requirement.

CHAPTER III Special Conditions for Stomachs, Bladders and Intestines

In addition to the conditions in the First Schedule, and Chapters I, II and III of the Second Schedule, establishments treating stomachs, bladders and intestines must comply with the following conditions:

FOURTH SCHEDULE

Definition of Meat

Meat as defined in—

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 18th day of May, 1995.

IVAN YATES,

Minister for Agriculture, Food and

Forestry.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations transpose the EC Directives which lay down the health rules for the production and marketing of meat products and other products of animal origin intended for human consumption or for the preparation of other foodstuffs. They cover the standards of manufacturing premises and the operational procedures for hygienic production.

^(1)O.J. No. L268 of 24.9.1991, P.69.

^(2)O.J. No. L302 of 31.12.1972, P.24.

^(3)O.J. No. L302 of 31.12.1972, P.28.

^(4)O.J. No. L382 of 31.12.1988, P.3.

^(5)O.J. No. L268 of 24.9.1991, P.41.

^(6)O.J. No. L268 of 14.9.1992, P.35.

^(7)O.J. No. L62 of 15.3.1993, P.1.