Meat Safety Act, 2000 (Act No. 40 of 2000)

Notices

Establishment of the Meat Inspection Scheme

16. Roles of Different Meat Inspection Personnel at Abbattoirs

16.4 Game Meat and Wild Ostriches Abattoirs

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Where reference is made to game, the same app!ies to wild ostriches and crocodiles

 

(a) Trained person
(i) Conduct ante-mortem inspection of game animals to be slaughtered. In the context of game slaughter, ante-mortem inspection is limited to a visual appraisal, which in most cases may be from a distance further than in red meat and poultry, of the behavior and actions of the game animal to determine its fitness for slaughter
(ii) Verification of proper shooting, bleeding times, hygienic harvesting and transport procedures of harvested game.
(iii) Identification of abnormal behaviour in the live animal and deviation from procedures.
(iv) Reporting to the registered inspector at the harvesting depot or game meat abattoir

 

(b) Game Meat Examiner
(i) Conduct examination of carcasses and offal at the game harvesting depot.
(ii) Conduct examination of carcasses and offal at the game meat abattoir.
(iii)Monitoring of hygiene control during harvesting and at the game harvesting depot.

 

In addition to the core duties of a meat examiner as described above, additional duties for a meat examiner may extend to the following in agreement with the PEO:

(i) Monitoring of the dispatch processes at the abattoir.
(ii) Monitoring of the handling of condemned material until safe disposal.

 

Due to the locations, numbers and accessibility of game farms, the infrequent slaughtering/harvesting and the challenges with accessing the animals on a game farms, it may not always be possible to have independent meat inspection personnel servicing the game harvesting depots on these farms. The NEO/PEO may therefore waive the requirement for independence for game meat examiners at game harvesting depots for small game harvesting operations for practical reasons as described. This means that the owner must have a game meat examiner during game harvesting, but such an individual may not necessarily be independent of the owner or farm.

 

A game meat examiner operating under the waiver of independence must report to the PEO on the meat examination service provided at a frequency as shall be determined by the PEO. The game meat examiner must also submit a meat examination report to the game abattoir with each consignment for the attention of the abattoir meat inspector.

 

(c) Meat Inspector
(i) A meat inspector may perform any of the duties of a game meat examiner.
(ii) Conduct primary meat inspection on all carcasses.
(iii) Prepare and submit to the PEO a monthly report on the meat inspection service, including slaughter statistics.
(iv) Verification of the abattoir hygiene management system.

 

(d) Veterinarian
(i) Conduct secondary meat inspection on all carcasses detained by the meat inspector/examiner for a veterinary decision.
(ii) Conduct inspection on all emergency slaughter carcasses and offal.
(iii) Prepare and submit to the PEO a report on the meat inspection service(s) conducted.
(iv) Verification of the abattoir hygiene management system.