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1933]
78
Enquiry was made regarding the matter at the Ministry of Health, and it was
stated " that it would appear that an offence would he committed under Section 2
of the Sale of Horseflesh, etc., Regulations Act, 1889, and Section 2 of the Food
and Drugs Act, 1928, if meat paste containing pickled horseflesh were sold to a
purchaser who asked to be supplied with meat paste. Section 7 of the 1889 Act
makes it clear that meat paste containing horseflesh is 'horseflesh' for the purposes
of the Act. Action could of course be taken locally whenever an offence
against the Act was being committed." The name and address of the firm who
was circularising the meat paste manufacturers was supplied to the Ministry of
Health.
LICENSED SLAUGHTERHOUSES.
As previously mentioned in the report, among the transferred powers taken
over there was delegated to the Public Health Committee the licensing of slaughterhouses.
During the year there were in use in Islington 8 private slaughterhouses,
1 horse slaughterer for the export of horseflesh for human consumption, and 1
knacker's yard. The knacker's yard and the horse slaughters are under the same
management but run as separate establishments. These (10) were licensed during
the year.
SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS ACT, 1933.
This Act becomes operative on the 1st January, 1934, and under it it is possible
by resolution of the Local Authority to exempt sheep from stunning. The matter
was still under consideration of the Borough Council during the year. Under this
Act also the Local Authority grant the licences to slaughtermen; 45 applications
for licences were received, and after investigation all of these were granted.
DISEASES OF ANIMALS ACT. ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
IN REFERENCE TO FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.
REMOVAL OF OFFAL.
This matter came under the purview of our department during January, and
enquiries were made and the Cleansing Superintendent informed in regard to the
precautions to be taken in respect of the removal of suspected infected offal at the
Islington Refuse Depot.
MARKING OF IMPORTED MEAT.
On page 69 of the Medical Officer of Health's Annual Report for 1929 this
subject was fully dealt with. At that time a questionnaire had been circulated to
the other Metropolitan Boroughs to obtain correct information as to how far the
provisions of the Sale of Food Order, 1921, were being complied with. This Food
Order has been specially kept in force from year to year by the Expiring Laws
Continuance Act passed each Session. The Order provides that imported meat
exposed for sale by retail shall bear a label with the word "IMPORTED" or
with words disclosing the country of origin, but a general notice exhibited in a
shop declaring all meat in the shop (or on a particular rail or counter) to be
imported has been generally held to be a sufficient compliance. This has led
sometimes to the customer being under the impression that she was getting
English meat because a portion near was labelled "ENGLISH." Edible offal
does not at present require to be labelled. Many people buy kidneys or liver
under the impression that they must be English because the other meat in the shop
is labelled English. New legislation to ensure that there is no dubiety about what