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

The scheme is compulsory and applies to all abattoirs in the Republic of South Africa. The scheme applies to all animals listed under Schedule 1 of the Act.

The NEO /PEO may use the services of a meat inspection service provider at export and /or import approved cutting plants, processing plants or cold stores serviced under the provisions of the Meat Safety Act, e.g. An assignee may be assigned to provide an inspection service at a  processing plant that is responsible for the treatment of imported meat before release by the veterinary authority.

A meat inspection system approved for implementation in South Africa is a combination of public and private meat inspection service model in which meat inspection assignees provide meat inspection service at all high throughput and frequently slaughtering low throughput abattoirs, whereas a government meat inspection service (whenever it becomes implemented) provides such services at rural and infrequently slaughtering low throughput abattoirs.

Until a period at which the government meat inspection service is implemented, abattoirs that are to be serviced by government must procure a meat inspection service, which may not be independent as defined in this document. The meat inspection personnel to provide the service to these abattoirs must have the same competencies in terms of qualifications, personal integrity and observance of confidentiality related to the service provided. The meat inspection service provided in these abattoirs will be monitored either by veterinary services in the Province or a meat inspection assignee (at the cost to the abattoir).

In terms of the application of meat inspection service, abattoirs have been classified as High throughput, frequently slaughtering low throughput, infrequently slaughtering low throughput and rural throughput abattoirs. The definition of high throughput and rural throughput is as prescribed in the applicable regulations.

It became necessary to separate the low throughput category into infrequently and frequently slaughtering groups to facilitate the implementation of the meat inspection service. The two groups differ depending on the category of animals involved. As a general definition, an infrequently slaughtering abattoir is an abattoir which slaughters less than three days in a week on a regular basis. The National Executive Officer may classify a low throughput abattoir with a slaughter frequency which falls outside the definition as given as an infrequently slaughtering abattoir, after considering, inter alia, aspects such as the daily throughput of the abattoir, the location of such an abattoir and availability of assignees to provide the service. All other low throughput abattoirs are hereby regarded as frequently slaughtering.

In the case of game. ostriches and crocodiles, in addition to the definition above, an infrequently slaughtering low throughput abattoir slaughters on an ad hoc basis and is not linked to regular harvesting activities or culling projects to supply products to the commercial market.

An abattoir which is classified as an infrequently slaughtering abattoir and as a result thereof, where applicable, benefits from the concessions associated with such a classification as opposed to other categories, may be restricted to selling its products within a specified radius/vicinity of the abattoir location.