The Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995

Wild game meat shall not be transported to licensed premises, to a cold store or to a re-wrapping centre in vehicles or containers which are not properly cleaned and disinfected.

4

Vehicles used for the transport of carcases and half carcases of wild game meat shall be suitably equipped. Fittings for hanging the meat shall be provided and fixed at such a height that the meat cannot come into contact with the floor except that such fittings shall not be required where such meat is transported by aircraft in which suitable facilities have been provided.

5

Cuts of wild game meat other than carcases and half carcases shall be suspended throughout the period of transport except where such meat is transported by aircraft in which suitable facilities have been provided; otherwise, if they are not placed in packages, they shall be placed on supports of material resistant to corrosion; and the support shall be clean and corrosion resistant and packaging shall meet the requirements of Schedule 8.

SCHEDULE 10 — VETERINARY HEALTH CERTIFICATE

SCHEDULE 11 — VETERINARY HEALTH CERTIFICATE

SCHEDULE 12 — MEAT HYGIENE APPEALS TRIBUNAL

1

Each Tribunal shall consist of a Chairman or a Deputy Chairman and two other members.

2

• (1) The Chairman or Deputy Chairman shall be an independent person appointed by the Minister.

• (2) One member shall be a person nominated by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, who shall not be a member of the State Veterinary Service nor an official veterinary surgeon.

• (3) One member shall be a person whom the Minister considers to be representative of the interests of licensed premises.

3

Each Tribunal may be serviced by a Secretary and such other staff as the Minister may appoint.

4

The terms of appointment and the remuneration of the members, secretary and other staff of a Tribunal shall be determined by the Minister.

SCHEDULE 13 — INDICATION TO BE APPLIED TO LARGE PACKAGING

Signed

Angela Browning — Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — 8th August 1995

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Cumberlege — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, — Department of Health — 15th August 1995

Raymond Robertson — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office — 9th August 1995

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Gwilym Jones — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office — 10th August 1995

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations give effect, in part, to Council Directive 92/45/EEC (OJ No. L268, 14.9.92, p.35) on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat.

The Regulations require all wild game processing facilities which consign, or sell for consignment, wild game meat to another EEA State to be licensed by the Minister. Such a licence will be issued if the premises comply with the prescribed requirements as to structure and hygiene or if a work plan aimed at achieving compliance with those requirements has been agreed between the occupier of the premises and the Minister (regulation 3). Premises which are already licensed under either the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 or the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 will not need to comply separately with the structural requirements contained in Schedule 1.

A licence may be refused or granted subject to conditions (regulation 3) or revoked (regulation 4), with a right of appeal to a Meat Hygiene Appeals Tribunal (regulation 5). The procedural rules in respect of an appeal are prescribed in the Meat Hygiene Appeals Tribunal (Procedure) Regulations 1992.

There will be veterinary supervision of all licensed premises. The Minister will appoint designated Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) and inspectors to supervise licensed premises (regulation 6). The Minister may revoke or suspend the designation of an OVS who is deemed to be unfit to perform his duties (regulation 7).

OVSs of the Minister may prohibit the use of equipment or the use of part of the premises or reduce the rate of operations, and a person aggrieved by such a decision may appeal (regulation 8).

The Minister may also authorise persons employed at the premises to act as PIAs and may also revoke and suspend such authorisations (regulation 9).

The health mark is to be applied to all wild game meat produced in licensed premises which is fit for human consumption. Only persons acting under the responsibility of the OVS may apply the health mark or possess or use the health mark equipment (regulation 10). Times of operation of licensed premises are controlled (regulation 11).

Subject to certain exceptions, wild game meat may not be consigned or sold for consignment to a relevant EEA State for human consumption unless it has been obtained from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre and been health marked; has met certain conditions regarding killing; has met the hygiene requirements specified in the Schedules; and is accompanied during transportation from licensed premises or from a cold store or re-wrapping centre by a commerical document or health certificate (regulation 12).

Except in specific circumstances (where a health certificate is appropriate), the wild game meat is to be accompanied by a commercial document.

The Minister must keep records in respect of inspections (regulation 14) and the occupier of the premises must also keep specified records (regulation 15).

The Regulations also—

• (a) specify the duties of occupiers (regulation 15);

• (b) create offences and prescribe penalties (regulation 16);

• (c) apply various provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 (regulation 17);

• (d) specify the enforcement authorities (regulation 18);

• (e) make provision for wild game meat imported from Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (regulation 19); and

• (f) amend specified Regulations (regulation 20).

A Compliance Cost Assessment in relation to these Regulations has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament and copies can be obtained from the Meat Hygiene Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Government Buildings, Hook Rise South, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 7NF.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1990 c. 16; “the Ministers” is defined in section 4 (1) of the Act. Section 6(4) was amended by section 31 of, and paragraph 6 of Schedule 9 to, the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 (c. 40) and section 6(6) was added by section 76 of, and paragraph 16 of Schedule 16 to, that Act.

[^f00002]: OJ No. L1, 3.1.94, p.1.

[^f00003]: OJ No. L1, 3.1.94, p.571.

[^f00004]: S.I. 1995/539.

[^f00005]: S.I. 1995/540.

[^f00006]: S.I. 1995/1763.

[^f00007]: 1981 c. 22.

[^f00008]: O.J. No. L 302, 31.12.72, p.24.

[^f00009]: O.J. No. L268, 24.9.91, p.35.

[^f00010]: O.J. No. L268, 24.9.91, p.41.

[^f00011]: O.J. No. L26, 31.1.77, p.85.

[^f00012]: O.J. No. L57, 2.3.92, p.1.

[^f00013]: O.J. L268, 14.9.92, p.35.

[^f00014]: S.I. 1966/791.

[^f00015]: S.I. 1970/1172.

[^f00016]: S.I. 1991/2825.

[^f00017]: S.I. 1992/2921.

[^f00019]: S.I. 1995/1763.

[^f00020]: S.I. 1994/3082.