Acts Online
GT Shield

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

Notices

Establishment of the Meat Inspection Scheme

1. Definitions

 

1.1 Abattoir means a slaughter facility in respect of which a registration certificate has been issued in terms of section 8(1) and in respect of which a grading has been determined in terms of section 8(2) of the Act.

 

1.2. Act means the Meat Safety Act, 2000 (Act No. 40 of 2000).

 

1.3. Assignee means any competent person who meets the requirements of the scheme and who has been designated under Section 4 of the Act to provide a specific service.

 

1.4. Authorized person means a person contemplated in section 3(1)(a)(ii) of the Act.

 

1.5. Client means anyone who:
(a) Purchases meat and meat products from an abattoir for further processing or trade.
(b) Supplies animals to an abattoir for slaughter either for trade or own consumption.

 

1.6. Department means the National Department of Agriculture.

 

1.7. Independence means that the meat inspection assignee has no business, financial, personal or any other interest in the abattoir other than the rendering of a meat inspection service, or where the PEO permits, meat classification, for which he/she may receive fair remuneration for work performed; and that there are no circumstances that may compromise the objectivity of the assignee in performing such services.

 

1.8. Meat Examiner means a person with a meat examination or equivalent qualification approved by the NEO.

 

1.9. Meat Inspector means a person with a minimum 3 year relevant bio-scientific qualification accredited by the relevant accreditation body.

 

1.10. Meat Inspection Forum means an advisory forum consisting of members of National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and interest groups which advises the NEO/PEOs on meat inspection service in the country.

 

1.11. Meat Inspection Service means the performance of ante-mortem, primary and secondary meat inspections, verification of hygiene management systems, regulatory control and reporting to the PEO.

 

1.12. Monitoring, in relation to meat inspection service, means the oversight function which is played by a supervisory registered inspector, or an authorised Veterinary Public Health Official over the performance of an assignee or registered inspector. This may include regular visitations to audit and check the performance of the assignee /registered inspector and also to audit the feedback systems by the assignee /registered inspector to the Department.

 

1.13. National Executive Officer (NEO) means an officer designated as such in terms of section 2(1) of the Act.

 

1.14. Organoleptic Meat inspection techniques means the physical inspection of meat and meat products through observation, palpation, smell and where necessary incision.

 

1.15. Poultry Meat Examiner Level 9 means a person with a poultry meat examination qualification approved by the NEO.

 

1.16. Poultry itiieat Examiner Level 2 means a person with a poultry meat inspection /Quality assurance qualification approved by the NEO.

 

1.17. Provincial Executive Officer (PEO) means an officer of a province in question designated as such in terms of section 5(2)(a) of the Act.

 

1.18. Rabbit Meat Examiner Level 7 means a person with a rabbit meat examination or equivalent bio- scientific qualification approved by the NEO.

 

1.19. Rabbit Meat Examiner Level 2 means a person with a rabbit meat examination or equivalent bio-scientific qualification approved by the NEO.

 

1.20. Registered Inspector means a person appointed, authorised or assigned in terms of the Act to perform the scope of meat inspection service as defined in this document.

 

1.21. Supervision means direct observation of the performance of meat inspection personnel by a suitably qualified person.

 

1.22. Supplier means anyone who supplies any commercial commodity and /or service to an abattoir for usage in the abattoir operations. These include the supply of animals, equipment, chemicals, cleaning material, etc., Suppliers include ail animal farmers, feedlots, animal traders and animal commodity associations whose members may be potential suppliers.

 

1.23. trained person (game) means a person registered by the PEO who is or accompanies a harvester(s) to verify proper shooting, bleeding times, hygienic harvesting and transport procedures during game slaughter, as well as identifying abnormal behaviour in the live animal and deviations from procedures and in such cases alerting the registered inspector at the harvesting depot or game meat abattoir.

 

1.24. Veterinarian means a person as defined in section 1 of the Veterinary and Para -Veterinary Professions Act, No 19 of 1982.

 

1.25. Veterinary Public Health (VPH) means a component of Veterinary Services in the national and provincial Departments of Agriculture responsible for the administration of the Act.

 

1.26. Veterinary Public Health Officer (VPHO) means a person employed by the national or provincial Department of Agriculture and delegated under Section 5(3)(a) of the Act to enforce meat and food safety.