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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

16.1 General

 

16.1.1 Reporting lines for meat inspection personnel

An assignee rendering a meat Inspection service at an abattoir reports to the PEO in the Province !n which they operate. Meat inspection personnel servicing abattoirs under assignment by the Minister must report to the assignee who is accountable for their performance.

 

Abattoir management and supervisors do not have any oversight and managerial roles over assigned and government meat inspection personnel. Abattoir-appointed meat inspection personnel (where applicable) must report, in relation to meat inspection service (technical line function), to the independent meat inspection personnel assigned to that particular abattoir or to the government meat inspection personnel. In cases where abattoir-appointed meat inspection personnel do not have direct supervision by an assigned or government appointed registered inspector, as the case may be in rural poultry abattoirs, the local Veterinary Public Health Officer must have constant monitoring over the activities of these registered inspectors.

 

16.1.2 Decision making on commencement of slaughter process

A registered inspector who is not in the employment of the abattoir (with exception of game harvesting where a trained person is in charge) must give consent to the abattoir manager for commencement of slaughter. The registered inspector will consider the following before makingthe decision:

(a) The cleanliness of the abattoir slaughter floor, equipment
(b) Personal hygiene of slaughter personnel
(c) Available chilling capacity
(d) Animal welfare considerations
(e) Whether equipment is in a good state of repair
(f) Sterilizers are working properly
(g) There is sufficient lighting on the slaughter floor
(h) Availability of potable water at prescribe temperatures