• Slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments require veterinary control and must be approved by the Food Standards Agency/ Food Standards Scotland

• Any co-located cold stores, minced meat, meat preparation or meat products establishments are also approved by the Agency (when stand-alone, these establishments are approved by the local authority). 

FSA Strategy to 2020 

• People have access to a healthy diet and make informed

  choices about what they eat

• Build and apply horizon scanning to identify and deal with emerging risks

• Conclude research of antimicrobial resistance risks in the food chain, begin to take actions required to address any risks identified

• Using legislative and non-legislative tools to protect consumer interests and deliver consumer benefits 

Meat Inspection
• Hygiene checks
• Welfare assessment
• Residue testing
• Animal health checks
• Animal identification checks
• Control of imported meat and livestock • Correct disposal of Animal By-Product • Cutting plant operation
• To licence new premises
• Auditing licensed premises 

• Perform post-mortem inspection on carcasses

• and associated parts

• Carry animal identification checks at post-mortem

• Do animal welfare checks

• Observe FBO representatives to assess their diligence

• Correct collection of ABP

• Report any issues to the OV 

• Official Veterinarians:

  • Carry ante-mortem duties (animal health, welfare, identification)

  • Supervise and provide technical support to inspectors

  • Residue sampling

  • Liaise with government representatives

  • Assess and take decisions upon data collected at the abattoir

  • Supervise FBO members to verify compliance with regulations

  • Enforcement duties

  • Export duties

• Veterinary auditors:

  • Carry official audits and follow up visits in cutting plants and

    abattoirs

  • Carry unannounced audits at the same premises (risk-based)

• Veterinary managers

• Perform approval visits and follow up audits 

Establishment used for slaughtering and dressing animals, the

meat of which is intended for human consumption. 

• Pens or covered space for the reception of the animals and for their inspection

• Equipped with water and feeding facilities

• Regards for animal welfare (pen size, corners, layout)

• Adequate drainage

• Adequate lighting

• Lockable facilities for sick or suspect animals with

  separate drainage

• Easy to clean and disinfect

• Recommended to keep animals in the lairage for as less

  as possible (new environment, possible noise, group mixing) 

Important to use point of balance and flight zone

• Avoid group mixing
• Non-slip floors, no sharp corners
• Avoid visual distractions

• Avoid audible distractions, particularly in high throughput establishments

• No prodding, shouting, pushing etc 

- FBO attends to animals

- regular inspection- animal welfare office

• Access to mains water and electricity supply (estimated

  consumption of 10,000 l per tonne)

• Connected to mains sewage

• Proximity to main roads and facility of access to large and small vehicles and parking

• Proximity to skilled labour

• Freedom from pollution from other industries’ odours,

  dust, smoke, ash, chemicals, etc.

• Remoteness from local housing (noise and smell)

• Ground not prone to flooding

• Sufficient size for future expansion 

• Lairage

• Slaughter, bleeding and dressing areas

• Separate room for emptying and cleaning stomachs and

  intestines

• Rooms for the refrigerated storage of meat

• Lockable chillers for the storage of detained meat

• Separate place for the C&D of livestock transport

• Separate area for the storage of manure or digestive

  content

• Separate area for the storage of animal-by-products (blood, hides, etc.) and industrial waste 

• Despatch area: facilities for hygienic loading into lorries

• Lockable room for the exclusive use of the veterinary service

• Changing rooms, lavatories, boot wash, apron wash, lockers

• Instruments and equipment of non-corrodible and ease to clean material

• Separate area for storage of chemicals, cleaning agents

• Engineers workshop, maintenance equipment

• Waste water disposal system 

• Food premises to be kept clean and maintained in good

repair

• The layout, construction and size of food premises are to: • Permit adequate maintenance and C&D
• Provide adequate working space for a hygienic performance
• Minimise air-borne contamination

• Protect against
• the accumulation of dirt, rust • shedding of particles,
• formation of condensation or • mould on surfaces
• pests 

• Chilled or frozen carcases
• Large primal pieces or quarters

• Chilled or frozen offal
• Retail size portions
• Chilled vacuum-packed meats

• Dried meats
• Fermented meat
• Raw or cooked cured products

• Cooked uncured meat
• Cooked canned products 

• Waterproof, washable and in sound condition
• Adequate drainage
• Avoid materials with high levels of maintenance • Non-slip 

• Maintained in a sound condition, easy to C&D

• Smooth surface
• Floor to wall junctions – sealed,
• Light coloured ideally 

Easy to be cleaned,
• Constructed so to avoid the accumulation of dirt,
• Reduce formation of condensation / mould,
• Overhead fixtures must be cleaned regularly (shed particles) 

• Opened to the outside environment
• Fitted with insect-proof screen where necessary • Constructed so to avoid the accumulation of dirt, 

• Especially food contact surfaces and equipment, • Easy to clean, disinfect and maintain,
• Smooth, washable,
• Wood generally not acceptable. 

• Wash basins for staff and knifes with hot and cold running water

• Wash basins non-hand operated

• Facilities for drying hands hygienically

• Facilities for disinfecting tools (water at >82oC or alternative

  equivalent methods)

• Sinks, showers, sterilizers close to working stations 

Adequate facilities for cooling, heating, cooking, freezing
• Should be monitored regularly (manually or automatically)

• Ambient temperature less than 12 C in cutting rooms 

• To provide animal comfort

• To minimise contamination of food from aerosols/ droplets

• Control ambient temperature

• Control odours which might affect food quality

• Control humidity

• Ventilate from in to out to prevent flow from contaminated area to clean 

To allow colour of meat to be assessed

• 540 lux at inspection points
• 220 lux in workrooms
• 110 lux elsewhere
• Beware glass covers – foreign bodies 

• Placed to permit easy cleaning and disinfection
• At sufficient distance/height to prevent cross contamination • Maintained so that it does not contaminate food
• Identified to prevent cross contamination 

• Lairage

• Green offal room
• Unfit meat handling area
• Yard: Animal-By-products area, C&D area 

Stun/stick
• Slaughter hall
• Detained meat

• Equipment wash • Staff amenities 

Clean areas:
• Dressing rooms
• Red offal preparation and packing,

• Carcase chill,
• Despatch.

• Multiple species separation:Separated by time or space

• Slaughter lines overhead system (avoid contact between carcases after skin is removed, meat with skin or fixtures) 

May be fitted with over pen showers
• Moist atmosphere due to the scalding tank
• Scalding, depilation and singeing carried out in a separate

room
• Traditional scalding into water tank at 60-62° C, 4-6 min
• Modern scalding: with steam
• Depilation with rotating scrapers
• Singeing removing remaining hair with a flame for a few seconds 

• Restrainer at the stunning area
• Hoist at the sticking area
• Scalding tank at pig & poultry abattoirs

• Dehairing and singeing (pig)
• Hide puller
• Electric brisket saw
• Feet cutting tools
• Splitting saw
• Platforms, conveyor belts 

Facilities for cleaning livestock transport vehicles,

• Impervious hard standing,
• All weather,
• Drainage adequate,

• Clean running water,
• Equipment to deliver disinfectant,

• Supplies of approved disinfectant,

• Light.