Grading of Carcasses Regulations (Chapter 36:03)

Copyright Government of Botswana (3) The moneys held in such bank account, being moneys owing to producers in respect of the slaughter of any animal, shall be deemed to be trust moneys held for and on behalf of such producers. 17. Offences (1) Any person who conducts the business or profession of a producers' agent in respect of the abattoir without having been registered under the provisions of regulation 3 (other than a person registered during the previous calendar year during the month of January of the following year) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding P400 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to both. (2) Any producer's agent registered under the provisions of regulation 3 who (a) knowingly gives false information under the provisions of regulation 8(1); (b) fails, without lawful excuse, to make any payment in accordance with the provisions of regulation 9(1); (c) charges a commission in excess of that prescribed in regulation 9(3); (d) fails to keep books or records in accordance with the provisions of regulation 12; (e) seeks to obstruct or hinder any person seeking to make an inspection in accordance with the provisions of regulation 12; (f) fails to render a return or to make a payment under the provisions of regulation 15 or renders a return which is false or inaccurate; (g) fails to maintain a bank account in accordance with the provisions of regulation 16(1) or fails to make any payment into that account which should be so made, or makes any payment out of such account other than a payment authorized under regulation 16(2), shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding P400 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to both. GRADING OF CARCASSES REGULATIONS (section 7) (12th August, 1977) ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS REGULATION 1. Citation 2. Interpretation 3. General 4. Grading specifications for beef 5. Grading specifications for mutton 6. Grading specifications for lamb 7. Grading specifications for goat meat 8. Appeals against grading Copyright Government of Botswana S.I. 99, 1977, S.I. 141, 1980, S.I. 142, 1982, S.I. 57, 1989, S.I. 113, 1992, S.I. 33, 2004, S.I. 43, 2006. 1. Citation These Regulations may be cited as the Grading of Carcasses Regulations. 2. Interpretation In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires "aged" means a bovine animal, sheep or goat which has eight permanent incisors in wear; "animal" means any bovine animal, sheep or goat of any age; "beef" means the meat of a bovine animal (a) of which any part of a fourth molar in the upper jaw has erupted through the gum; or (b) of which the head has been separated from the body or carcass (as the case may be) prior to the determination by a meat grader of the state of dentition of such animal; "carcass" means the remainder of the body of an animal after the blood has been drained and the hide, skin, hair, entrails, pluck, head, trotters, cow-heels, hoofs, feet, tail, diaphragm, genitals and udder have been removed as the customs or requirements may be in respect of the relevant species of animal, and includes any such remainder of a bovine animal which has been divided into two halves; "cold dressed mass" means the weight of a carcass determined immediately after the chilling process and prior to its cutting; "Director" means the Director of Veterinary Services; "fat carcass" means a carcass with a distinct accumulation of fat in the abdominal and subcutaneous depots; "goat meat" means (a) in the case of "Class A", the meat of a goat showing no more than two permanent incisors; and (b) in the case of "Class B", the meat of a goat (i) showing more than two permanent incisors, or (ii) of which the head has been separated from the body or carcass (as the case may be) prior to the determination by a meat grader of the state of dentition of Copyright Government of Botswana such goat; "lamb" means the meat of a sheep showing no permanent incisors; "meat grader" means a public officer appointed as a grading officer; "mutton" means (a) in the case of "Class A", the meat of a sheep showing not more than four permanent incisors; and (b) in the case of "Class B", the meat of a sheep (i) showing more than four permanent incisors, or (ii) of which the head has been separated from the body or carcass (as the case may be) prior to the determination by a meat grader of the state of dentition of such sheep. "patchy fat cover" means thin but distinct fat covering only the hindquarter, or loin, or both; "uniform light fat cover" means thin but distinct fat covering the hindquarter, loin and shoulder. 3. General Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Regulations, any carcass which exhibits signs of stagginess or is bruised or mutilated or overfat or does not comply with all the requirements of a grade may be graded one or more grades lower than the grade for which it otherwise would have qualified, depending on the degree of stagginess or over-fatness or the nature, extent and location of the bruising and mutilation or the degree to which it does not meet all the requirements of a grade: Provided that in the case of generalised bruising involving only one side of a bovine carcass, each side may be graded separately. 4. Grading specifications for beef (1) There shall be seven grades of beef, namely, Prime Grade, Super Grade, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade and Canning Grade. (2) The specifications of the various grades of beef shall be as follows (a) Prime Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex, having not more than two permanent incisors of good conformation and uniform light fat cover. Fat colour shall be white. (b) Super Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex, having not more than four permanent incisors, of good conformation, and uniform light fat cover. Fat colour shall be white only. (c) First Grade Copyright Government of Botswana The carcasses shall be of any sex, having not more than four permanent incisors, of good conformation, of patchy fat cover or none; or the carcasses shall be of any sex, having five to eight permanent incisors, of good conformation, at the most with a uniform light fat cover. Fat shall be white or cream only. (d) Second Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex, have up to eight permanent incisors, of fair conformation, at the most with a uniform light fat cover; or the carcasses shall be of any sex, age, or fair to good conformation, with patchy or uniform light fat cover. Fat colour shall be of any normal colour. (e) Third Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex and age, of poor conformation, and no fat cover. (f) Fourth Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex and age, of very poor conformation, and either none or patchy fat cover whose meat is fit for manufacturing purposes. (g) Canning Grade The carcasses shall be of any sex and age and of very poor conformation with oedema whose meat is suitable only for canning. 5. Grading specifications for mutton (1) There shall be four grades of mutton, namely, Prime Grade, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. (2) The specifications for the various grades of mutton shall be as follows (a) Class A (i) Prime Grade: The carcasses shall be of a proper finish, well-fleshed, of a good quality and derived from wethers or ewes, or the carcasses may be somewhat deficient in finish but must be very well-fleshed, of good quality and derived from wethers or ewes: Provided that (i) carcasses in this grade shall show at least a fairly even distribution of fat; and (ii) no carcass of the fat-tail type shall be included in this grade. (ii) Grade 1: The carcasses shall be of a fair finish, reasonably fleshed, and derived from wethers or ewes: Provided that moderately over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (iii) Grade 2: Copyright Government of Botswana The carcasses shall be either of a fair finish and poorly fleshed or reasonably fleshed and of a poor finish, and derived from wethers or ewes or from rams of better carcass quality (considered on the basis of the quality of ram carcasses): Provided that moderately over-fat but not grossly over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (iv) Grade 3: Carcasses which do not comply with the requirements as prescribed for the aforementioned grades. (b) Class B (i) Grade 1: The carcasses shall be of a fair finish, reasonably fleshed, of a fair quality and derived from wethers or ewes: Provided that moderately over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (ii) Grade 2: The carcasses shall be either of a fair finish and poorly fleshed or reasonably fleshed and of a poor finish, and derived from wethers or ewes or from rams of better carcass quality (considered on the basis of the quality of ram carcasses): Provided that moderately over-fat but not grossly over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (iii) Grade 3: Carcasses which do not comply with the requirements as prescribed for the aforementioned grades. 6. Grading specifications for lamb (1) There shall be four grades of lamb, namely, Super Grade, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. (2) The specifications for the various grades of lamb shall be as follows (a) Super Grade The carcasses shall be of a proper finish, well-fleshed, of a good quality and derived from wether or ewe lambs or from ram lambs whose carcasses show little masculine character; or the carcasses may be somewhat deficient in finish but should be very well-fleshed, of good quality and derived from wether or ewe lambs or from ram lambs whose carcasses show little masculine character: Provided that (i) carcasses in this grade shall show at least a fairly even distribution of fat; and Copyright Government of Botswana (ii) no carcass of the fat-tailed type shall be included in this grade. (b) Grade 1 The carcasses shall be of a fair finish, reasonably fleshed and derived from wether or ewe lambs or from ram lambs, whose carcasses show no marked masculine character: Provided that moderately over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (c) Grade 2 The carcasses shall be either of a fair finish and poorly fleshed or reasonably fleshed and of a poor finish and derived from wether, ewe or ram lambs: Provided that moderately over-fat but not grossly over-fat carcasses may be included in this grade. (d) Grade 3 Carcasses which do not comply with the requirements as prescribed for the aforementioned grades. 7. Grading specifications for goat meat (1) There shall be four grades of goat meat, namely, Super Grade, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. (2) The specifications for the various grades of goat meat shall be as follows (a) Class A (i) Super Grade: The carcasses shall be of a proper finish and reasonably well-fleshed and derived from goat ewes showing no permanent incisors. (ii) Grade 1: The carcasses shall be of a fair finish and reasonably fleshed and derived from goat castrates and goat ewes showing not more than two permanent incisors. (iii) Grade 3: Carcasses which do not comply with the requirements as prescribed for the aforementioned grades. (b) Class B (i) Grade 1: The carcasses shall be of a proper finish and reasonably well-fleshed and derived from goat castrates and goat ewes. (ii) Grade 2: The carcasses shall be of a fair finish and reasonably fleshed and derived from goat castrates and goat ewes: Provided that carcasses which are over-fat but not grossly over-fat may be included in this grade. (iii) Grade 3: Carcasses which do not comply with requirements as prescribed for the aforementioned grades. Copyright Government of Botswana 8. Appeals against grading (1) If the owner of any carcass or the agent of such owner is not satisfied with the decision of a meat grader in regard to the grading of that carcass he shall be entitled to appeal to the Director against that decision: Provided that his intention to do so is conveyed to that meat grader before such carcass is removed from the place where it has been graded. (2) The meat grader may apply to the carcass, in respect of which he has under subregulation (1) been informed that an appeal is contemplated, a mark which he considers necessary for identification purposes. (3) No appeal under subregulation (1) shall be considered unless it is lodged with the meat grader in charge, at the place where the carcass in question has been graded, on the day on which the decision which is the subject of that appeal is given, and is accompanied by a deposit of P30 in the case of an appeal against the grading of one beef carcass, and, additionally, or alternatively, P10 in the case of an appeal against the grading of one mutton, lamb or goat carcass. (4) Where an owner or agent simultaneously lodges more than one appeal in terms of subregulation (3) the deposit in respect of each such appeal other than the first shall be P1 in the case of every additional beef carcass and P1 in the case of every additional goat, lamb or mutton carcass. (5) A carcass in respect of which an appeal has been lodged in terms of subregulation (3) shall be kept in cold storage by the person in charge of the abattoir at which the animal from which that carcass is derived was slaughtered. (6) Carcasses in respect of which an appeal has been lodged shall be stored, in the case of beef carcasses in the form of whole sides, and in the case of goat, lamb and mutton carcasses in the form of whole carcasses. (7) The Director shall designate a person or persons who shall decide any appeal as soon as possible and not later than seven days after the date on which it has been lodged with the meat grader concerned, and the decision of such person or persons shall be final. (8) The person or persons designated in terms of subregulation (7) to decide an appeal shall cause the applicant or his agent to be notified as soon as possible of the place, date and time at which the appeal will be heard, but in any case not less than two hours before the time fixed for the appeal, in order to enable the appellant or his agent to identify the carcass or carcasses which have been stored by the person in charge of the abattoir as aforesaid. (9) The person or persons designated as aforesaid to decide an appeal may after the carcass or carcasses have been identified in terms of subregulation (8) request all persons (including the appellant and his agent) to vacate the room in which the appeal is being heard until such time as a decision has been reached. (10) Immediately after the appeal has been decided the person or persons who decided the appeal shall acquaint the appellant or his agent of the decision arrived at, and if the appeal is being dismissed shall, if requested by the appellant or his agent, state the reasons Copyright Government of Botswana for such dismissal. (11) The amount deposited in respect of any appeal shall be forfeited if the appeal is dismissed, or if the carcass or carcasses to which it relates are not identified by the appellant or his agent at the place, date and time notified to him in terms of subregulation (8): Provided that if an appeal has been lodged in respect of more than one carcass and the appeal is dismissed in respect of some of such carcasses the appellant shall forfeit an amount which bears the same percentage in relation to the total deposit as the number of carcasses in respect of which the appeal is dismissed bears to the total number of carcasses in which the appeal has been lodged. Copyright Government of Botswana Endnotes 1 (Popup - Popup) delete as applicable 2 (Popup - Popup) delete as applicable