韩国电影快乐人生:Official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption

ACT

Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption [See amending acts].

SUMMARY

Community establishments and imports are subject to the controls laid down by this Regulation.

COMMUNITY ESTABLISHMENTS

The competent authorities approve establishments that comply with Community regulations on hygiene of food.

Food business operators must provide the competent authority with all the assistance needed in carrying out the control, notably as regards access to premises and the presentation of documentation or records.

The official controls include audits of good hygiene practices and HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), as well as specific controls whose requirements are determined by sector (fresh meat, bivalve molluscs, fishery products, milk and dairy products).

FRESH MEAT

Official veterinarian

Appointed and authorised by the competent authority, the official veterinarian will have solid professional qualifications, recognised by having passed an aptitude test covering all the subjects for which he is competent. He will audit:

• the permanent application of good hygiene practice (maintenance of plant structure and equipment, plant hygiene, staff hygiene, training, processing of animal by-products not intended for human consumption, etc.);
• the procedures based on the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system, notably in the following areas: compliance of products of animal origin with microbiological criteria, absence of excessive quantities of prohibited substances, contaminants or chemical residues, absence of physical hazards, such as foreign bodies, absence of patho-physiological abnormalities or changes, absence of contamination.

The inspection tasks of the official veterinarian concern the following aspects:

• food chain information giving health data concerning animals which have been sent or will be sent for slaughter.
• ante-mortem inspections (except for wild game). Within 24 hours of arrival at the slaughterhouse and less than 24 hours before slaughter, all animals must undergo ante-mortem inspections. The official veterinarian verifies the existence of any sign indicating that the welfare of the animals has been compromised or signs of any condition which might adversely affect human or animal health.
• animal welfare during transport and during slaughter.
• post-mortem inspections. Carcases and offal of slaughtered animals are subjected to visual inspection and mandatory incisions. With a view to a definitive diagnosis, or to detect the presence of an animal disease or other factors rendering the meat unfit for consumption, the official veterinarian may conduct an additional examination and take samples for scientific analysis in the laboratory. Adequate precautions must be taken to avoid contamination during examination.
• specified Risk Material. In compliance with Community legislation on transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs), specified risk material is sampled, separated and, where appropriate, marked.
• laboratory testing. The official veterinarian takes samples to detect the possible presence of zoonoses, TSE, other diseases or unauthorised substances.
• health marking for stock cattle, and large farmed and wild game. After completion of the post-mortem inspection, meat fit for consumption must be health-marked in ink or by hot branding. This mark is oval, legible, indelible, and readily visible to the controlling authorities, showing the name of the consigning country and the approval number of the establishment. The nature and content of this marking must follow specific provisions, depending on the type of meat and the type of packaging.

The results of inspections must be recorded in writing and incorporated in the relevant databases. Whenever a problem is identified, this information must be communicated to the operator of the meat establishment, the competent authority and the persons responsible for supervising the holding of provenance of the animals. The official veterinarian shall take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent the possible spread of the infectious agent.

Decisions following controls

Where controls reveal deficiencies or irregularities, appropriate measures must be taken. These include:

• decisions concerning food chain information. The animals are not accepted for slaughter intended for human consumption in the following cases: they come from a region which is subject to a movement prohibition, rules on the use of veterinary medical products have not been complied with, or there is a risk for human or animal health. When the information on the animals provided by the operator does not correspond with the true situation, the competent authority may take action against the operator such as extra controls at the operator’s expense.
• decisions concerning live animals. When the animals’ identity is not ascertainable, they must be killed separately and declared unfit for human consumption. The same applies to animals presenting a transmissible pathological risk; these must undergo detailed ante-mortem examination. In addition, the veterinary official supervises the slaughter of animals in the framework of specific disease eradication schemes (TSE, brucellosis tuberculosis, salmonella).
• decisions concerning animal welfare. The official veterinarian will make sure the rules concerning animal welfare during transport and slaughter are complied with and, if necessary, take the necessary corrective measures.
• decisions concerning meat. All meat which may constitute a danger to human health shall be declared unfit for human consumption. This includes meat from animals which have not undergone ante-mortem inspection (excluding wild game), meat from animals whose offal has not undergone post-mortem inspection, meat from animals which were dead before slaughter, stillborn, unborn or slaughtered under the age of seven days, meat from animals affected by a notifiable animal disease, meat not in conformity with the biological and radioactivity criteria, meat containing specified risk materials, chemical residues or veterinary medicinal products in excess of the permitted limits. In addition, the veterinarian may impose requirements concerning the use of meat derived from animals having undergone emergency slaughter outside the slaughterhouse.

Responsibilities and frequency of controls

The national authority shall guarantee appropriate official supervision in meat establishments. The nature and intensity of the official supervision shall be based on a regular assessment of the risks to human and animal health and the animal welfare aspects. At least one official veterinarian should be present throughout both the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections, although some flexibility may be applied in the case of some establishments slaughtering or processing game.

In order to carry out official inspections, a certain number of professional qualifications are required. The veterinarian must also pass a test organised by the competent authority, confirming candidates’ knowledge in all the areas relating to their work (in particular national and Community legislation on health, good hygiene and farming practices, HACCP principles, and relevant aspects as regards epidemiology and TSEs). Moreover, each veterinarian must have 200 hours of practical training before being allowed to work on their own.

When carrying out inspections, the official veterinarian may be assisted by official auxiliaries placed under his authority. Auxiliaries, whose tasks are clearly defined, must first have received training (at least 500 hours of theoretical training and 400 hours of practical training) which must be approved by an aptitude test covering all the subjects for which they are competent.

Moreover, Member States may authorise staff of poultry and rabbit slaughterhouses to carry out certain inspection activities normally carried out by official auxiliaries. The staff in question must have received specific prior training.