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Requirements for Production Establishments

Food business operators (FBOs) operating establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations or mechanically separated meat (MSM) must ensure that the establishments:

  • are constructed so as to avoid contamination of meat and products, in particular by  allowing constant progress of the operations or ensuring separation between the different production batches;
  • have rooms for the separate storage of packaged and exposed meat and products, unless stored at different times or in such a way that the packaging material and the manner of storage cannot be a source of contamination for the meat or products;
  • have rooms equipped to ensure compliance with the temperature requirements laid down in Chapter III of Regulation (EC) 853/2004;
  • have equipment for washing hands used by staff handling exposed meat and products with taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination; and
  • have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82° C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect.

Additional National Rules

The Abattoirs Act 1988 (Veterinary Examination and Health Mark) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No 67 of 2007) takes account of the derogation contained in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 regarding compliance with certain standards subject to certain conditions.

Under the Regulations, a person may sell or supply minced meat, a meat preparation or a meat product, intended to be eaten cooked -

  • if the minced meat, meat preparation or meat product is clearly and legibly labelled or marked

           (i) in accordance with the Schedule of the S.I., and

           (ii) that the product must be thoroughly cooked prior to consumption,

and

  • he or she holds, in respect of the establishment where the minced meat, meat preparation or meat product is prepared, a consent issued under Regulation 17B of the European Communities (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 432 of 2009).

The Regulations prohibit an FBO from exporting minced meat, a meat preparation or meat product to which paragraph (a) above applies. Use of the special mark in S.I. No 67 of 2007 prevents a person from using the mark referred to in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004.