Historial: 2MEMO0495en

Rules on inspections and controls

Who is responsible for meat inspection?

The inspection of live animals and dead animals occurs under the responsibility of the official veterinarian, who may be assisted by official auxiliaries and, under specific circumstances and only for poultry and rabbit meat, by slaughterhouse staff. Extensive and detailed training requirements are necessary for veterinarians, auxiliaries and slaughterhouse staff involved in meat inspection. At least one official veterinarian needs to be present in the slaughterhouse throughout the inspection of live and dead animals (the so called ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection respectively). The same applies for game-handling establishments during the postmortem inspection.

Is inspection of live animals possible on the farm?

Inspection on the farm by an approved veterinarian is possible. In the case of pigs, for example, the animals must be accompanied by a health certificate and need to be slaughtered within 3 days of inspection.

How will meat inspection change with the new rules?

The new rules allow for a more modern approach based on risk assessment, which means that under certain conditions it is possible to limit the post mortem inspection to a visual examination, except of course when abnormalities are detected. For example, fattening pigs kept under controlled housing conditions in integrated production systems would qualify for such an inspection procedure.

The traditional meat inspection tasks of the official veterinarian will in the future be increasingly replaced by auditing tasks. For example, the official veterinarian will have to verify the implementation of the HACCP system, which will include assessment of critical control points, checking daily records, verification of the proper application of hygiene procedures, etc. Meat inspection will not, however, be privatised. The official veterinarian is ultimately responsible for meat inspection, although he or she can be assisted by properly trained auxiliaries. In establishments where poultry and lagomorphs (eg rabbits) are slaughtered, the veterinarian can also be assisted by slaughterhouse staff, under specific conditions. Slaughterhouse staff cannot, however, carry out exactly the same tasks as auxiliaries. For example, slaughterhouse staff may not carry out any auditing tasks.

How is the inspection of wild game organised?

The initial inspection of the hunted animal will be performed by a person in the hunting team who has been specifically trained for this task. If the meat is placed on the market, a second post-mortem inspection will in most cases be performed by the official veterinarian at the game-handling establishment.

What are the farmer’s obligations when sending animals for slaughter?

The farmer will have to register all health related problems and interventions and send the relevant information to the slaughterhouse 24 hours before sending the animals for slaughter. In return he will receive from the official veterinarian information on any abnormalities detected following the slaughter of the animals.

What is the level of supervision in cutting plants?

There must be supervision by an official veterinarian or an official auxiliary in cutting plants when meat is being worked upon, but the frequency is flexible and can be determined by the competent authority based on the risks involved.

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