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237
INSPECTION OF FOOD AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD PREMISES
New Legislation
The Meat Inspection (Amendment) Regulations, 1966—With the
exception of the under-mentioned provision (b), these Regulations
came into operation on 30th September, 1966, and further amended
the Meat Inspection Regulations 1963. The main provisions are:—
(a) to empower local authorities (after consultation with the
occupiers and users of private slaughterhouses and subject
to a right of appeal by those users to the Minister) to fix
the times at which slaughtering may take place in any
private slaughterhouse;
(b) to end, on 31st October, 1966, the present provision enabling
any meat to be removed from a slaughterhouse if it has not
been inspected within a specified period of slaughter;
(c) to prohibit the use of green ink for inspection marking
stamps; and
(d) to make changes of detail in the inspection procedure laid
down in the principal Regulations.
The changes effected by these amending Regulations are designed
to bring about 100% inspection of all home killed meat
before it leaves the slaughterhouse. This standard, however, has
always been maintained at the Slaughterhouse within the Borough.
Weekly slaughtering is carried out Monday to Friday between
7.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. each day and Saturday 7.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.,
with provision for one or two additional weekend sessions in special
circumstance such as to meet the exceptional demands made on the
slaughtering trade immediately before Christmas. This provision
accords with paragraph 5 of the accompanying Circular FSH 30/66
to these Regulations in which the Minister looks to local authorities
for times of slaughter to be sufficiently flexible.
Consultations were made with the Slaughterhouse Manager
and as there was complete agreement that the existing arrangements
had operated in a most satisfactory manner, the Council agreed
to their continuation and the owners were notified accordingly.
The Food Hygiene (Markets, Stalls and Delivery Vehicles) Regulations,
1966, and(Amendment) Regulations, 1966—The principal Regulations
lay down requirements as to food hygiene in respect of markets,
stalls and delivery vehicles. Markets and stalls are so defined that
the Regulations apply to any handling of or trading in food which is
undertaken either in any market or market premises or away from
fixed premises. Delivery vehicles are defined as any vehicles used for
the delivery of food; if they are used for the sale of food, they come
within the definition of stall and become subject to the appropriate
requirements for stalls.