MEAT REGULATIONS

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 449.06

MEAT REGULATIONS

1st May, 1978

LEGAL NOTICE 15 of 1977, as amended by Legal Notice 37 of 1984.

The title of these regulations is the Meat Regulations.

CONDITIONS, PREJUDICIAL TO HEALTH

ACTINOMYCOSIS (generalised)

ANAEMIA (advanced or infectious)

ANTHRAX

ACTINOBACILLOSIS (generalised)

AZOTURIA

BLACKLEG

BRUISING (extensive and severe)

GASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS WITH EMACIATION

CASEDUS LYMPHADENITIS (generalised)

CYSTICERCUS BOVIS (generalised)

CYSTICERCUS CELLULOSAE

CYSTICERCUS OVIS (generalised)

DECOMPOSITION (generalised)

DOURINE

EMACIATION (pathological)

EXTENSIVE FISTULA

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE

GANGRENOUS OR SEVERE HAEMORRHAGIC ENTERITIS OR GASTRITIS

GENERALISED PIGMENTARY DEPOSITS

GENERALISED OSTEOPOROSIS

GLANDERS

INFECTIOUS EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

INFLUENZA (acute)

JAUNDICE

MALIGNANT CATARRHAL FEVER

MASTITIS (acute septic)

METRITIS (acute septic)

OEDEMA (generalised)

PERICARDITIS (acute, septic)

PERITONITIS (acute, diffuse, septic)

PLEURISY (acute, diffuse, septic)

PNEUMONIA (acute, septic)

PURPURA HAEMORRHAGICA

PYAEMIA (including joint-ill)

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RABIES

SARCOCYSTS

SEPTICAEMIA OR TOXAEMIA

STRANGLES

SWINE ERYSIPELAS (acute)

SWINE FEVER (classical or African)

TETANUS

TOXIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (forage poisoning)

TRICHINOSIS

TUBERCULOSIS (generalized)

TUBERCULOSIS WITH EMACIATION

TUMOURS

(a) MALIGNANT WITH SECONDARY GROWTHS

(b) MULTIPLE

URAEMIA

In these regulations, "to sell'' includes to offer, expose,

advertise or keep for sale and to supply by way of compensation or

otherwise.

(1) (a) An inspector shall, on an ante mortem inspection

of an animal, have the power to order the slaughter of the animal

and to condemn its carcase, if he suspects that the said animal is

suffering from any of the diseases or conditions listed in the

Schedule.

(b) The slaughter of any such animal shall take place

in that part of the slaughterhouse reserved for slaughter of sick

animals, or in such other place and in such manner as may be

directed by the inspector in each particular case.

(2) An inspector shall, after having carried out an ante mortem

examination of an animal, if the animal is found to be suffering

from any disease or condition not listed in the Schedule, have the

power to keep the said animal under observation in such a place

and under such conditions as he thinks appropriate.

(3) An inspector shall, after inspecting the carcase of an

animal, regard the whole carcase and the offal and the blood as

unfit for human consumption if the animal wads suffering from any

of the diseases or conditions listed in the Schedule.

(4)

An inspector shall regard as unfit for human consumption -

(a) any stillborn or unborn carcase and any immature

carcase which is oedematous or in poor physical

condition as well as any offal or blood removed or

collected from any such carcase;

(b) any animal which is far advanced in age;

(c)

(i)

the blood of any animal affected with any

infectious disease or condition;

(ii) the blood of any animal if the blood is

contaminated by stomach contents or by other

extraneous matter, or by the blood of any other

animal affected with any infectious disease or

condition.

(1) An inspector shall, if he is satisfied that the carcase or

o ff al i s aff ec t ed w i t h t u b e r c u l o s i s , o th er th an g en er al i s e d

tuberculosis or tuberculosis with emaciation, regard the following

parts of the carcass and offal as unfit for human consumption

(a) any part of the carcase infected with localised

tuberculosis and any other part contiguous thereto;

(b) the head, including the tongue, when tuberculosis,

exists in any lymphatic gland associated with the head

or tongue;

(c) any organ or viscera when tuberculosis exists in the

substance, or on the surface thereof, or in any

lymphatic gland associated therewith.

(2) An inspector shall regard any part of a carcase and any offal

or blood contaminated with tuberculosis material as unfit for

human consumption.

An inspector, if satisfied that any part of a carcase or offal is

affected with localised cysticercus bovis shall, after condemning

th e aff e cted p a rt , r eg ar d as f it f or h um a n co n su m p ti o n th e

remaining part of such carcase or offal on condition that it be kept

in cold storage at a temperature not exceeding -7º (20ºF) for a

period of not less than three weeks or at a temperature not

exceeding -10ºC (14°F) for a period of not less than 2 weeks, and

shall not release it as so fit except after the expiry of the said term.

An inspector may, when satisfied that the whole or part of a

carcase or any offal is affected by any disease or condition not

m e n t i o n e d in t h e s e r e g u l a ti o n s , r eg ar d a s u n f i t f o r h u m an

consumption the whole carcase and offal or such lesser part

thereof, as he may think appropriate in the circumstance.

Meat declared to be unfit for human consumption and the

carcase of an animal suffering from rabies, glanders or anthrax

shall be destroyed by heat under the direction and supervision of an

inspector

Provided that the Superintendent of Public Health may

allow any meat declared to be unfit for human consumption to be

used for industrial purposes under such conditions as he may deem

fit to impose.

(1) Animals which have been subjected to ill-treatment

shall not be slaughtered for human consumption before they have

recovered from such ill-treatment.

(2) For the purpose of this regulation, the fatigue caused by a

journey, any faulty method of conveyance, starvation, any violent

exercise and any brutal coercion shall be considered to be ill-

treatment.

It shall not be lawful to slaughter any animal of the bovine,

caprine, ovine or equine species or swine, which has not attained an

age physical development sufficient to ensure a proper degree of

nutritiousness in its meat.

(1) The stamp used for the stamping of meat as required

by the Food Safety Act, shall be -

(a) a stamp with “methyl violet” dye in the case of meat,

and

(b) branding in the case of viscera,

bearing the date of slaughter and a letter corresponding to the

species to which the animal belongs.

(2) Every butcher shall constantly display in a conspicuous part

of his shop where meat is sold a f acsimile (supp lied by the

Government) of the impressions of the official stamps for stamping

of meat or viscera at the slaughterhouse.

No person shall, without the permission of the

Superintendent of Public Health, acting on the advice of the

P r in ci p a l Go v e r n m e n t Ve te r in ar y S u rg e o n , s e ll f o r h u m a n

consumption any meat or entrails not derived from animals of the

species commonly used as food in Malta.

(1) An inspector, after satisfying himself that any rabbit or

poultry was suffering from a disease when killed, or that it is in any

other way unwholesome or deteriorated, may declare the same to be

unfit for human consumption.

(2) The provisions of regulation 7 shall apply, mutatis

mutandis, to any rabbit or poultry declared unfit under sub-

regulation (1).

The slaughtering of animals shall be carried out in such a

manner as will ensure that the animal is killed instantaneously, or is

rendered insensible to pain until death supervenes, in accordance

with the d ir ection s o f th e Principal Gov ern ment Veter inar y

Surgeon.

No person may be employed in a slaughterhouse without a

p er m i t fr o m th e Su p er i n ten d en t o f P u bl ic Hea lth wh o m a y

withdraw or suspend such a permit in the case of misbehaviour or

other irregularity.

Any person who is employed or otherwise performs any

work whatsoever in a slaughterhouse shall, while within any part of

the slaughterhouse where animals are slaughtered, or where meat is

kept, stored, or offered for sale, wear protective clothing to the

satisfaction of the inspector.

(1) No meat shall be removed from any slaughterhouse

without the permission of the inspector.

(2) No meat shall be conveyed from any slaughterhouse in any

vehicle which does not conform in all respects with the relative

provisions of the Hygiene of Food Regulations.

(1) Any person misbehaving or creating any disturbance

whatsoever in a slaughterhouse may be, at the discretion of the

inspector, asked to leave the slaughterhouse and/or prohibited from

entering the slaughterhouse during any period not exceeding one

month.

(2) Smoking in any part of the slaughterhouse as is referred to

in regulation 15 is prohibited.

Any person entering or leaving a slaughterhouse shall be

liable to be searched.

Animals shall be slaughtered in, and their meat shall be

inspected and/or removed from, a slaughterhouse during such hours

MEAT

as shall appear on a notice affixed to the main entrance to the

slaughterhouse.

MEAT