Meat Control (Local Slaughterhouses) Regulations

LN.214/1973, L.N.230/1976 THE MEAT CONTROL (LOCAL SLAUGHTERHOUSES) REGULATIONS 1. These Regulations may be cited as The Meat Control (Local Slaughterhouses) Regulations. 2. In these Regulations except where the context otherwise requires— "carcass" means the body of any slaughtered animal after bleeding and dressing; "inspecting officer" means any Veterinary Officer, Health Inspector or any other person duly authorized in writing by the Director of Veterinary Services. 3. (1) The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, declare* any abattoir, slaughterhouse or any other place where animals are slaughtered and meat is prepared or meat products are manufactured for human consumption to be a slaughterhouse for the purposes of these Regulations. (2) No person shall slaughter any animal except in a slaughterhouse. (3) Any person who contravenes paragraph (2) of this regulation shall be guilty of an offence. 4. The Minister may issue a licence to any person, upon application by such a person, to operate my slaughterhouse declared as such m accordance with paragraph (1) of regulation 3 of these Regulations. 5. The provisions set out in this Schedule hereto shall apply to all slaughterhouses declared as such under paragraph (1) of regulation 3 of these Regulations. 6. The Director of Veterinary Services may— (a) issue such instructions and directives as may be deemed necessary for the enforcement of these Regulations; (b) order the closure of any slaughterhouse to the event of non-compliance with these Regulations. 7. No person shall, except in an emergency, slaughter in a slaughterhouse any animal which has not been inspected by an inspecting officer, and any person who contravenes this regulation shall be guilty of an offence. 8. No person shall part with the possession of a carcass of any animal slaughtered in a slaughterhouse, unless such carcass has been inspected by an inspecting officer and any person who contravenes this regulation shall be guilty of an offence. 9. It shall be lawful for any inspecting officer to detain or order the disposal or destruction of, any animal, carcass or meat which, in his opinion, is unfit for human consumption. 10. (1) No person, other than an inspecting officer, shall attach to or remove from any animal, carcass or meat or alter or cause to be attached to or removed from any animal, carcass or meat or permit the alteration of any tag, token or mark used in the process of inspection. (2) Any person who contravenes paragraph (1) of this regulation shall be guilty of an offence. 11. (1) No person shall remove or dispose of or cause to be removed or disposed of, any animal, carcass or meat which has been so marked or tagged except with the consent of and in accordance with the instructions of an inspecting officer. (2) Any person who contravenes this regulation shall be guilty of an offence. 12. Any person who obstructs or hinders an inspecting officer in the course of his duties shall be guilty of an offence. 13. An official number shall be assigned to each slaughterhouse and such number shall be used to identify all carcasses and meat slaughtered in such slaughterhouse. 14. An inspecting officer shall, for the purpose of any examination or inspection necessary for the due implementation of these Regulations, have access to any part of a slaughterhouse at all times irrespective of whether the slaughterhouse is in operation or not. 15. An inspecting officer shall, for the purpose of these Regulations, have free access to all records kept in the slaughterhouse, whether financial or otherwise. 16. Any person guilty of an offence under these Regulations shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment. 17. These Regulations shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of any written law relating to public health for the time being in force. SCHEDULE A.—SITE, ACCESSIBILITY AND CONSTRUCTION 1. A slaughterhouse shall be located in an area which is reasonably free from objectionable odours, smoke and dust. Adequate dust-proof access-ways connecting the slaughterhouse with public roads shall be available. The slaughterhouse must be completely separated from any other buildings used for industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential or other purposes. 2. If a retail business is carried on within the official premises of a slaughterhouse, customers shall have access only to the room or rooms where such business is conducted and shall be excluded from the rest of the slaughterhouse. 3. The following minimum requirements shall be maintained in the construction of a slaughterhouse— (a) properly built and drained lairages capable of holding one and a half days maximum slaughter should be erected not less than ten metres from the slaughterhouse and be equipped with adequate facilities for ante-mortem inspection and special lairages for suspect animals; (b) fenced cattle races from the lairages to the slaughterhouse, properly drained and in a suitable place equipped with facilities for washing the animals; (c) separate room for the stunning and bleeding of animals with arrangements for bleeding with the animals in a hanging position; (d) slaughter-halt with facilities for flaying on the rail and evisceration, trimming, inspection, etc., with the animals in a hanging position; (e) chill-rooms or freezers of adequate size for the purposes of the designated slaughterhouse; (f) distribution room of adequate size; (g) separate room for the cleaning and treatment of intestines and stomachs; (h) separate room for the separation and treatment of edible offals: (i) separate room for the storage, disposal and treatment of inedible and condemned animals, carcass and meat; (j) material used shall be impervious, easily cleaned and resistant to wear and corrosion; (k) floors shall be constructed of dense, acid-resistant, water-proof concrete and have a wood float finish; (l) walls shall be constructed so that they are smooth and flat and made of smooth-surfaced Portland cement plaster or other non-toxic non-absorbent material applied to a suitable base, walls should be provided with sanitary bumpers to prevent damage by movable and other equipment; (m) coves with sufficient radii to promote good sanitation shall be installed at the juncture of floors and walls in all rooms; (n) ceilings shall be of good height and, as far as structural conditions permit, be smooth and fiat and be constructed of Portland cement plaster or other acceptable impervious material. If the ceiling has exposed hoists, these must be at least 60 centimetres on centre and be designed so that they are easy to keep clean; (o) window-sills shall be at least 150 centimetres from the floor and be sloped 45 degrees; (p) doorways must be at least 150 centimetres wide and the doors must be made of rust-resitant metal having tight soldered or welded seams. Door jambs shall be covered with rust-resistant metal; (q) all windows, doorways and other openings that would admit insects shall be equipped with effective insect and rodent screens; (r) the buildings shall be sufficiently rodent-proofed; (s) dressed timber shall he used for all exposed interior wood work, and it shall be painted with a good non-toxic oil or plastic base paint, treated with linseed oil or with a clean wood sealer; (t)all parts of floors where wet operations are conducted shall be well drained, with at least one drainage inlet provided for each 35 square metres of floor space. The inlets shall be placed under the dressing rails if necessary in conjunction with drainage valleys, not less than 7.5 centimetres wide, with a slope of the floor towards the drainage valleys or inlets of at least 2.5 centimetres per metre; (u) drains for paunch and stomach contents shall be at least 20 centimetres in diameter; (v) the waste disposal system must be of adequate size and comply with general and local regulations; (w) arrangements for the safe disposal of paunch contents, lairage manure, blood and condemned carcasses and meat must be made and drawings and specifications must indicate how this will be accomplished. 4. No person may erect a slaughterhouse without first making an application to, and obtaining the approval of, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. 5. Drawings and specifications of alteration and construction of slaughterhouses shall be furnished to the Ministry of Agriculture for approval in advance of application for designation of the slaughterhouse. The drawings shall be complete with specifications and consist of floor plans showing the location of features such as principal pieces of equipment, floor drains, principal drainage lines, hand-washing basins and hose connexions. They shall further show roof plans elevations, cross and longitudinal sections of the various buildings showing such features as principal pieces of equipment, heights of ceilings, rails and character of floors and ceilings. Further shall be submitted a plot plan showing such features as the limits of the slaughterhouse premises, locations in outline of buildings on the premises, cardinal points of the compass and railways serving the slaughterhouse, all properly drawn in scale. With the drawings shall be submitted a plan of the proposed functioning of the slaughter-house indicating such features as estimated throughput, capacity and quality of water supply, power and heating arrangements, storage, chilling and freezing capacity, drainage and sewage system for disposal of inedible and condemned carcasses and meat. B.—SANITATION 1. Each export slaughterhouse shall provide the following amenities: (a) An installation supplying adequate quantities of portable water. (b) An ample supply of water at not less than 82 degrees centigrade shall be furnished and used for the cleaning of inspection equipment, floors and the like, which are subject to contamination by the dressing and handling of diseased carcasses, viscera and parts. Whenever necessary to determine compliance with this requirement, conveniently placed thermometers shall be installed to show the temperature of the water at the point of use. (c) Hot water for cleaning rooms and equipment other than those mentioned in subparagraph (b) of this paragraph shall be delivered under pressure to sufficient and convenient outlets and shall be of such temperature as to accomplish a thorough cleaning. (d) The floors, walls, ceilings, partitions, posts, doors and other parts of all structures shall be of such materials, construction and finish as will make them capable of being readily and thoroughly cleaned. The floors shall be kept watertight. The rooms and compartments used for edible products shall be separate and distinct from those used for inedible products. (e) Butchers and others who dress and handle diseased carcasses or parts shall, before handling and dressing other carcasses or parts, cleanse their hands with liquid soap and hot water, and rinse them in clean water. Implements used in dressing diseased carcasses shall be thoroughly cleansed in boiling water, or in a prescribed disinfectant followed by rinsing in clean water. The employees of the establishment who handle any product shall keep their hands clean, and. in all cases after visiting the toilet rooms or urinals shall wash their hands before handling any meat or implements used in the preparation of meat. (f) Protective clothing of a light colour and of such material as to render them easily cleaned and in such numbers as to be sufficient for changing every day or whenever it is deemed necessary by the inspecting officer. (g) Protective coverings for meat. Inspecting officers in charge shall require the use of such protective coverings for meat as it is distributed from export slaughterhouse as will afford adequate protection for the meat against dirt, insects and the like, considering the means intended to be employed in transporting the meat from the export slaughterhouse. 2. Adequate sanitary facilities and accommodations shall be furnished by every export slaughterhouse and the specific requirements shall be as follows:— (a) Dressing rooms, toilet rooms and urinals shall be sufficient in number, ample in size and conveniently located. (b) Modern lavatory accommodations with hot and cold running water, liquid soap, towels or other equipment for drying of hands, and bacteriocidal barrier cream shall be situated outside toilet rooms or urinals and their use by employees of the establishment shall be supervised. (c) Drainage from toilet rooms and urinals shall not be discharged into a grease catch basin. (d) Properly located facilities for cleansing and disinfecting utensils and hands of all persons handling any product. 3. All operating and storage rooms and departments of export slaughterhouses used for inedible products shall be maintained in acceptably clean condition. The outer premises of every export slaughterhouse shall be properly paved and drained and kept in clean and orderly condition. All catch basins on the premises shall be of such construction and location and shall be given such attention as will ensure their being kept in acceptable condition as regards odours and cleanliness. The accumulation of any material in which pests may breed or feed upon is forbidden. No sanitary nuisance shall be allowed in any export slaughterhouse. 4. No export slaughterhouse shall employ, in a department where any meat is handled or prepared, any person affected with communicable diseases in a transmissible stage. 5. No export slaughterhouse shall maintain any person affected with communicable diseases in a transmissible stage, nor any person living with other persons affected with such disease, in a department where meat is handled or prepared. 6. Drawings and specification shall be famished in advance of alterations and construction. The copies of drawing shall be submitted to the Director of Veterinary Services for approval. The drawing, .hall be complete with specifications and consisting of floor plan showing the location of such features as the principal pieces of equipment floor drains, principal drainage lines, handwashing basins and hose connexion for cleanup purposes. They shall further show roof plans, elevations, cross and longitudinal sections of the various buildings showing such features as principal pieces of equipment, heights of ceilings, conveyor rails and character or floors and ceilings. Further shall be submitted a plot plan showing such features as the limits of the plant premises, locations in outline or buildings on the premises. cardinal points of the compass and roads and railways serving the plant, all properly drawn to scale. B.—SANITATION 1. Each slaughterhouse shall provide the following amenities— (a) an ample—minimum 1,500 litres per head of livestock of potable waiter with conveniently placed outlets; (b) an ample supply of hot water at not less than 82 degrees centigrade shall be furnished and used for the cleaning of equipment, floors and the like, which are subject to contamination by the dressing of diseased carcass; (c) sufficient natural and abundant artificial light at all places for proper conduct of the work. 2. Adequate sanitary facilities and accommodation shall be furnished by every slaughterhouse. Specifically required are the following (a) dressing rooms, toilet rooms and urinals in sufficient numbers, ample in size and conveniently located; (b) modern lavatory accommodations with hot and cold water, soap and towels or other equipment for drying hands and their use shall be supervised; (c) toilet rooms and urinals shall have separate drainage; (d) properly located facilities for cleansing and disinfecting utensils and hands of personnel handling carcasses and meat. 3. Equipment and utensils used for preparing, processing or otherwise handling carcasses and meat shall be of such material as will make them easily cleaned, and disinfected and shall, except for chopping blocks and handles of utensils, be made of metal or other durable material. 4. A sufficient number of suitable receptacles, if necessary with close-fitting covers, shall be furnished for collection or removal from the slaughterhouse of blood, offals, stomachs and intestines and for removal of garbage, filth and refuse. 5. Suitable and sufficient bandages, dressings, including water-proof dressings, and antiseptics shall be provided and maintained for first-aid treatment in every slaughterhouse premises, in a readily accessible position for use of persons engaged in the slaughterhouse. C.—HYGIENIC PRACTICES 1. Admission of animals and carcasses to a designated slaughterhouse— (a) No person shall bring an animal which he knows or suspects to be diseased into the slaughterhouse without the permission of the inspecting officer. (b) No person shall bring or permit to be brought into a slaughterhouse the carcass of any animal that has died and not bled; provided that such carcass may be taken direct to a processing and sterilizing plant on the permission of the inspecting officer, (c) No person shall bring or permit to be brought into a slaughterhouse a dressed carcass of an animal slaughtered elsewhere than a slaughterhouse. 2. Hygiene of premises and equipment— (a) Rooms, compartments, places, equipment and utensils used for dressing, preparing, storing or otherwise handling carcasses and meat shall be kept clean and in a sanitary condition. (&) Protective clothing of a light colour and of such material as to render them easily cleaned and in such numbers as to be sufficient for changing every day or whenever it is deemed necessary by the inspecting officer shall, be provided. (c) Inspecting officers may require the use of protective covering for carcasses and meat as it is distributed from the slaughterhouse as will afford adequate protection for the meat against dust, insects and the like, considering the means intended to be employed in transporting the meat from the slaughterhouse. (d) All sanitary conveniences shall be kept clean and in working order. (e) Garbage, filth or refuse, whether liquid or solid, shall not be allowed to accumulate in a slaughterhouse except so far as may be unavoidable for the proper carrying on of the business therein. (f) The outer premises of every slaughterhouse shall be kept in clean and orderly condition. (g) All catchbasing on the premises shall be of such construction and location and shall be given such attention as will ensure their being kept in acceptable condition as regards cleanliness and odours. (h) All reasonable steps shall be taken to clear the premises of rats, mice, birds and insects. 3. Personnel— (a) No slaughterhouse shall employ in a department where meat is handled, any person affected with communicable diseases in a transmissible stage. (b) No slaughterhouse shall maintain any person affected with communicable diseases in a transmissible stage in a department where meat is handled. 4. Slaughtering processes— (a) Any offal shall be kept identifiable with the carcass until the inspection is finished. (b) Stomachs and intestines shall be removed from the slaughterhall immediately after they have been separated from the carcass and inspected and shall not be opened in any part of the premises which contains meat other than stomachs and intestines. (c) All hides and skins shall be removed from any part of the premises containing any meat as soon as possible after they have been separated from the carcass. 5. Personal hygiene and conduct— (a) As soon as any person engaged in or about a slaughterhouse in the handling of carcasses or meat becomes aware or suspects that he is suffering from a disease, in particular intestinal disorders, sore throat, cough and open or suppurating wounds, he shall forthwith give notice of this fact to the management or the inspecting officer. (b) Any person while engaged in or about the slaughterhouse in the handling of meat shall wear suitable protective clothing including head covering and boots all of which articles shall be readily washable and be kept as clean as is reasonably, practicable. (c) Any person engaged in the handling of meat in or about a slaughterhouse shall while so engaged keep as clean as may be reasonably expected by thorough and frequent washing of all parts of his person which are liable to come into contact with meat. (d) Any person who dresses or handles diseased carcasses shall before handling and dressing other carcasses, cleanse his hands and other parts of his person which have come into contact with the diseased meat with soap and hot water and rinse in cold water. Implements used in dressing diseased carcasses shall be thoroughly cleaned in boiling water followed by rinsing in clean water. (e) Any employee of the slaughterhouse who handles any meat shall in all cases, after visiting the toilet rooms or urinals wash their hands before handling meat or implement used in the preparation of meat. 6. No person shall in a slaughterhouse— (i) change his clothes in any part containing meat; (ii) urinate, defecate or spit except in a sanitary convenience; (iii blow or inflate with his breath any carcasses or meat or handle it in any other manner likely to cause infection or contamination; (iv) use any knife, scabbard, sharpening steel, chopper or saw for preparing of edible meat, which has been used for condemned or inedible meat. D.—CONDITIONS AND FACILITIES FOR MEAT INSPECTION 1. Adequate and well-equipped areas reserved for the exclusive use of the inspecting officers shall be provided. 2. No slaughterhouse shall be operated except under tile supervision of an inspecting officer. 3. No carcass or meat shall be removed from a slaughterhouse until after due notice has been given to the inspecting officer. 4. The following facilities, equipment and conditions and such others as may be essential to efficient conduct of inspection and maintenance of sanitary conditions shall be provided by each slaughter house:— (a) Satisfactory lairages, equipment and assistants for conducting ante-mortem inspection and for separating and holding apart from passed animals those marked "SUSPECT" and "CONDEMNED". (b) Sufficient natural and abundant artificial lighting in all places and at such times of the day when natural light may not be adequate for proper conduct of inspection. (c) Racks, receptacles or other suitable devices for retaining such parts as the head, tongue, tail, thymus gland and viscera and all parts and blood until after the post-mortem inspection is completed in order that they may be accurately identified in case of condemnation of the carcass. (d) Tables, benches or the equipment on which inspection is performed of such design, material and construction as to enable inspecting officers to conduct their inspection in a ready, efficient and hygienic manner. (e) Watertight receptacles for holding and handling condemned carcasses and parts, so constructed as to be easily cleaned, such receptacles .to be marked inconspicuous lettering with the word "CONDEMNED" in letters not less than 5 centimetres high and shall, if so required, be equipped with facilities for locking or sealing. (f) A separate room or special open place, to be known as "final inspection place", for final inspection of detained carcasses. This place shall be adequate in size and so constructed and situated as to prevent carcasses passed for human food from being contaminated by contact with detained or condemned carcasses. (g) A separate room, known as "detention room", for further inspection and detention of carcasses. It shall be equipped for secure locking and be kept under locks, the keys of which shall not -leave the custody of the inspecting officer. E. MEAT INSPECTION The provisions of item C of the Schedule to the Meat Control (Export Slaughterhouse) Regulations shall equally apply to a slaughterhouse declared as such to be a slaughterhouse under paragraph (1) of regulation 3 of these Regulations. F.—DISPOSAL OF CONDEMNED CARCASSES AND PARTS Carcasses and parts judged unfit for human consumption shall be disposed of as follows— (a) In slaughterhouses where tanking facilities exist: Tanking and heating shall take place under the supervision of the inspecting officer and the tanks shall, if necessary be locked by the inspecting officer. Condemned carcasses and parts shall be removed to the tank house as soon as possible after inspection and there be kept either in a locked tank or in a special locked space until it is to be tanked. The rendered fat derived from condemned carcasses and parts shall be denatured to effectively distinguish it from an edible product by adding to it such denaturing agent as may be prescribed by the inspecting officer. (b) In slaughterhouses where no facilities for tanking exist, condemned carcasses and parts shall be removed as soon as possible after inspection to a locked room until they can be disposed of by any of the following methods according to the discretion of the inspecting officer— (i) denaturing with crude carbolic acid, creasylic disinfectant or other prescribed agent and thereafter be disposed of in accordance with the requirements of the local authorities; (ii) complete incineration; (iii) transport of the condemned carcasses or parts to a place where tanking facilities exist. Such transport shall take place in watertight, locked container and such material shall, at the arrival at the place where tanking facilities exist, be treated as provided in (a) of this paragraph. (c) The tanking room, tank discharging room or any other place where rendering, processing or storing is done shall be kept in a clean condition; adequate precaution shall be taken to prevent dust or any other objectionable materials from inedible products departments from contaminating edible products; inedible products shall be stored in a dry, pest-proofed place and in such a manner as to prevent all possibilities of it being mixed with edible products. (d) Each carcass and part which is found on final inspection to be unsound, unhealthy, unwholesome or otherwise unfit for human consumption shall be conspicuously marked "CONDEMNED" on the surface tissues thereof by the inspecting officer at the time of inspection. G.—REINSPECTION OF PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES TO BE SUPERVISED 1. All carcasses and meat shall be reinspected, even though previously inspected and passed, by inspecting officers as often as may be necessary to ascertain that the carcasses or meat are fit for human consumption at the time they leave the slaughterhouse. 2. If on reinspection any carcass or meat is found to have become unfit for human consumption, the original mark of approval shall be removed or defaced and the carcass or meat condemned. 3. No meat shall be brought into the slaughterhouse unless it has previously been inspected and passed by an inspecting officer at a slaughterhouse or export slaughterhouse. All meat thus brought into a slaughterhouse shall be reinspected on arrival and if found unfit for human consumption, the original mark of approval shall be removed or defaced and the meat shall be condemned. 4. Samples of meat, water, or any other article in a slaughterhouse shall be taken at the expense of the management of the slaughterhouse, as often as may be deemed necessary for the efficient conduct of the inspection. H.—MARKING AND LABELLING OF MEAT AND MEAT CONTAINERS 1. All carcasses and parts thereof as well as all containers in which meat is distributed shall be marked with a rectangular ink stamp, the long side six centimetres and the short side four centimetres in ink which is approved for this purpose bearing the following legend : KENYA EST. No. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... APPROVED 2. A slaughterhouse shall furnish such stamps and ink as may be required for the stamping or otherwise marking carcasses, meat or containers. 3. No person shall procure, make or prepare or cause to be produced, made or prepared, labels, tags, brands, stamps or other marking devices bearing the inspection legend or any abbreviation, copy or representation thereof, for use on any carcass or meat without the written permission of the Director of Veterinary Services. 4. All marking devices shall remain in the custody of the inspecting officer and shall only be used under his supervision and shall, when not in use, be kept under lock and key by the inspecting officer. 5. No person shall affix, place or cause to be affixed or placed, the inspection legend or any abbreviation or copy thereof, to or on any carcasses, meat or meat container thereof except under the supervision of an inspecting officer. 6. No person shall remove or cause to be removed, in whole or in part, any meat which these Regulations require to be marked in any way unless me same is clearly and legibly marked in compliance with these Regulations. 7. Any container of inedible product which has the physical characterizations of an edible product or can be mistaken for such shall be marked conspicuously with the word "INEDIBLE" in clear and legible letters. I.—RECORDS 1. Every inspecting officer shall keep a daily record book or slaughter and condemnations. 2. In every slaughterhouse shall be kept a daily record book of slaughterings and condemnations carried out on the premises; this record book shall be closed at the end of every month and year, and a monthly and annual report shall be submitted .to the Director of Veterinary Services Division before the 10th of the following month and January of the following year respectively. 3. Daily record books shall be kept for at least three years and monthly and annual reports for at least fifteen years before being destroyed. DECLARATION OF SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by the regulation 3 (1) of the Meat Control (Local Slaughterhouses) Regulations, the Minister for Livestock Development declares all the abattoirs, slaughterhouses, or slaughterslabs situated in Murang'a district to be slaughterhouses for the purposes of the Regulations. DECLARATION OF SLAUGHTERHOUSES-NYERI AND KIRINYAGA IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by regulation 3 (1) of the Meat Control (Local Slaughterhouses) Regulations, the Minister for Livestock Development declares all abattoirs, slaughterhouses or slaughterslabs situated in Nyeri and Kirinyaga districts to be slaughterhouses for the purpose of the Regulations. DECLARATION OF SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by the regulation 3 (1) of the Meat Control (Local Slaughterhouses) Regulations, the Minister for Livestock Development declares all the abattoirs, slaughterhouses, or slaughterslabs situated in Nyandarua district to be slaughterhouses for the purposes of the Regulations.