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It is to be hoped that a number of importing firms will automatically eliminate
themselves from the trade under the severe conditions of competition that are now
taking place and that the quality of imported products will consequently improve.
With regard to fresh meat - frozen mutton showing marked evidence of caseous
lymphadenitis continues to be imported and your Medical Officer, seeing that this
type of mutton is now permitted, has reduced the amount of sampling as being a
vjaste of time and labour. The fact is that the big exporting countries know
exactly the condition of the product that they are exporting to this country and
can vary it in accordance with the precise requirements of the buyer.
FOOD AND DRUGS (TJIIALEMEAT) REGULATIONS, 1949.
On the 12th March, 1949, Circular MFl/49 from the Ministry of Food directed
attention to the above-mentioned Regulations which came into operation on the 20th
March,1949.
Part I - General - deals only with definitions.
Part II of the Regulations prohibits the importation into England and Wales
for sale for human consumption of whalemeat or whalemeat products (other than those
products excluded by definition namely whale-oil, whale liver oil, whale-meat
extract, vitamin concentrates or pharmaceutical products) unless accompanied by a
"veterinary certificate" and prescribes the manner in which uncertificated
whalemeat or whalemeat products shall be dealt with.
Parts III, IV and V contain provisions for securing the observance of hygienic
conditions with the sale, transport and handling of whalemeat.
The Regulations will be executed and enforced by local authorities, except
that Parts II and V will be enforced by Port Health Authorities in their districts.
The Regulations are additional to the Public Health (imported Food)
Regulations and Part II of these Regulations relating to the importation of "All
Food" will continue to apply to whalemeat and to whalemeat products as previously.
The Regulations vrere accompanied by a memorandum 1/Whalemeat dealing with the
inspection of whalemeat and the conditions under which whalemeat is prepared etc.
on floating factories, auxiliary vessels and at land stations. The Authority
have no statutory responsibilities in regard thereto but a copy of the memorandum
was forwarded for information. The memorandum will be reviewed in the light of the
experience gained as the result of this season's whaling expeditions in the Antartio.
FOOD AND DRUGS (Y.IIALEMEAT) REGULATIONS, 1949.
Circular MP2/49 of the Ministry of Food, dated 25th March, 1949 directs that
the Ministry of Food has caused to be published in the "London Gazette" of the
18th March, a notice containing in the Schedule thereto the description of a
certificate, which he lias recognised as a Veterinary Certificate for the purposes
of the Food and Drugs (Whalemeat) Regulations, 1949 and points out that this is the
only certificate, so far, which lias been recognised under the Regulations.
The notice reads as follows
"The Minister of Food gives notice, in pursuance of the above-named Regulations)
that he hereby recognises the Veterinary Certificate, of which particulars are
given in the Schedule hereto, as certifying (a) that the whalemeat to which
it relates or the whalemeat from which the whalemeat product to which it
relates was prepared, was derived from whales inspected post-mortem and passed
as fit for human consumption in accordance with criteria satisfactory to the
Minister and (b) that all necessary precautions for the prevention of danger
to public health were taken in the preparation, classification, packing
marking, storing and transporting of the whalemeat or whaleneat product in
accordance with conditions satisfactory to the Minister.
The Certificate is completed by the addition of the name of the Ship/floating
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