MEAT HYGIENE SECTION

TRADER NOTICE REF MHS 5 / 2006

SUBJECT: HEALTH MARKS AND IDENTIFICATION MARKS

TO THE MANAGEMENT

AT MEAT PROCESSING ESTABLISHMENTS

BACKGROUND

With the introduction of the Hygiene Package on 1 January 2006 under the provisions of the European Communities (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 910 of 2005) new measures were introduced concerning the usage of the health mark and identification mark. This Trader Notice gives a summary explanation on the markings. [For further details see DAF website ]

KEY REFERENCE LEGISLATION
Identification Mark
  • Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council [in particular Article 5 and Section I of Annex II] as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2074/2005 and by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2076/2005.
  • Articles 2, 5 and 6 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2076/2005.
Health Mark
  • Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council [in particular Article 5 and Section I of Annex II] as amended by Regulation 882/2002004, Commission Regulation (EC) No 2074/2005 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2076/2005.
  • Article 5 of Regulation No 854/2004

The Health Mark and the Identification Mark, whilst both are oval in shape differ in their legal significance. They contain similar information and have an important function in traceability systems.

Health Mark
  • The application and control of the Health Mark is the responsibility of the official veterinarian (OV).

The Health Mark is applied to carcases, sides and quarters of domestic ungulates, farmed game mammals other than lagomorphs, and large wild game ONLY, which have passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection.

The main changes concerning the Health Mark

-IRL changes to IRELAND or IE [This Department opted for IRELAND]

-EEC changes to EC

-The oval HEALTH mark must be of a minimum size.

  • In the case of poultry, Health Marking does not take place. Poultry receive the Identification Mark only.

More detailed information on the Health Mark is shown in Appendix I.

Identification Mark
  • The application and control of the Identification Mark is the responsibility of the food business operator (FBO).
  • The main requirements for an Identification Mark are

-IRL changes to IRELAND or IE [FBO decides on which option to use]

-EEC changes to EC

-Be legible and Indelible [There is no specified size.]

-Be Oval in shape.

  • The Identification Mark is applied under Reg (EC) No 853/2004 (‘Hygiene 2’) to products of animal origin. It is applied directly to the product, to wrapping or packaging or to a label or tag. (Applies to wrapped poultry carcases).

For Cut Meat or Offal

-Label fixed to package

-And must be destroyed on opening

  • The Veterinary Control Labels are no longer required. They have effectively been replaced by the Identification Mark, which functions in a similar way.
  • Linear presentation of this information is permitted only in the case of imports from EU-approved plants in third countries.
  • Poultry receive the Identification Mark only. In the case of poultry, Health Marking does not take place.

For more detailed information see Appendix II attached.

Pre-Printed Despatch Documents - Identification Mark as part of a Traceability System.

As required under Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 FBOs must have a system in place which provides sufficient information to enable traceability. As part of a traceability system FBOs are advised, as an option, to use pre-printed despatch documents bearing the following information in linear format:

-the letters IE or IRELAND

-followed by the plant approval number

-followed by the letters EC

-followed by the letters DAF [optional]

and

-a reference code number which identifies the product and the date (s) of production.

Example of the linear format arrangement are:

IRELAND 222 EC DAF

Or

IE 222 EC DAF.

The inclusion of the letters DAF is to identify more readily if the establishment is approved by the Department of Agriculture and Food or not. Alternatively an oval identification mark bearing the information as indicated above may be pre-printed on the despatch document.

Sequential Numbering of Identification Labels.

There is no legal requirement to do so.

However purchasers, in particular 3rd country importers, who are accustomed to receiving product bearing a system of sequential numbering of labels will have an expectation of continuance of such a system under the Hygiene Package controls. Traders are advised to be mindful of this expectation by their customers.

Palleted Product

Where the boxed product is going for further processing then it will suffice for the identification mark to appear on the outer wrapping surrounding the pallet of cartons in such a manner that it is destroyed when the wrapping is removed.
If the product is not intended for further processing then each carton must bear the identification mark.

Labelling of Palleted Product.
Though each individual finished product may carry the identification mark
along with other traceability information, it is necessary for the pallet / box in
which this product is held to also be labelled with the identification
mark.

Freezer / Storage Facilities - Despatch Documents.

Documentation accompanying all product movements from one food business to another food businessmust contain sufficient informationto ensure that it meets with traceability requirements i.e. one step forward and one step back.

Pre 2006 Health and Identification Marks

Article 5 of Commission Reg. 2076/2005 makes provision for FBOs to continue until 31 December 2007 to use stocks of wrapping, packaging and labelling material bearing pre-printed health or identification marks purchased by them before 1 January 2006. A FBO, who was approved prior to 1 January 2006 and who has applied for re-approval under the Hygiene Package controls, may change over to the new identification mark prior to re-approval.

Retention Period for Documents.

Under Regulation 7 of the European Communities (Food and Fed Hygiene) Regulations, 2005(S.I. No. 910 of 2005) an FBO is obliged to retain all documents for a period of 3 years.

Plant Management should amend the relevant SOP and make the amended SOP available to the Veterinary Office. Auditable records must be kept to provide evidence of compliance with the legislation.

Copies of this trader notice may be printed from the Department’s website - - select heading “AGRI FOOD INDUSTRY ”, scroll down to “TRADE AND EXPORTS”, select “APPROVED MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS”, select “Trader Notices”.

______

Liam Walsh

Assistant Principal Officer

Meat Hygiene Section

Meat Hygiene and Animal By Products Division

Agriculture House

Phone Dublin 01 – 6072830

5 April 2006

The Department of Agriculture and Food does not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided, nor does it accept responsibility for any use made thereof. Users should therefore take all necessary precautions before using this information, which they use entirely at their own risk.

APPENDIX I

EXTRACT FROM REGULATION (EC) No 854/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND OF THE COUNCIL OF 29 APRIL 2004 [H 3]

AMENDMENTS BY COMMISSION REGULATIONS 2074/2005 AND 2076/2005 ARE SHOWN IN ITALICS.

SUBJECT:HEALTH MARKING

CHAPTER III OF SECTION 1 OF ANNEX I TO H 3

1. The official veterinarian is to supervise health marking and the marks used.

2. The official veterinarian is to ensure, in particular, that:

(a) the health mark is applied only to animals (domestic ungulates, farmed game mammals other than lagomorphs, and large wild game) having undergone ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection in accordance with this Regulation and when there are no grounds for declaring the meat unfit for human consumption. However, the health

mark may be applied before the results of any examination for trichinosis is available, if the official veterinarian is satisfied that meat from the animal concerned will be placed on the market only if the results are satisfactory;

and

(b) health-marking takes place on the external surface of the carcase, by stamping the mark in ink or hot branding, and in such a manner that, if carcases are cut into half carcases or quarters, or half carcases are cut into three pieces, each piece bears a health mark.

3. The health mark must be an oval mark at least 6,5 cm wide by 4,5 cm high bearing the following information in perfectly legible characters:

(a) the mark must indicate name of the country in which the establishment is located, which may be written out in full in capitals or shown as a two-letter code in accordance with the relevant ISO standard.

In the case of Member States, however, these codes are BE, CZ, DK, DE, EE, GR, ES, FR, IE, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PL, PT, SI, SK, FI, SE, and UK.

(b) the mark must indicate the approval number of the slaughterhouse;

and

(c) when applied in a slaughterhouse within the Community, the mark must include the abbreviation CE, EC, EF, EG, EK, EY, ES, EÜ, EK, EB or WE.

4. Letters must be at least 0,8 cm high and figures at least 1 cm high. The dimensions and characters of the mark may be reduced for health marking of lamb, kids and piglets.

5. The colours used for health marking must be authorised in accordance with Community rules on the use of colouring substances in foodstuffs.

6. Meat from animals having undergone emergency slaughter outside the slaughterhouse must bear a special health mark, which cannot be confused either with the health mark provided for in this Chapter or with the identification mark provided for in Annex II, Section I, to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.

7. Meat from unskinned wild game cannot bear a health mark unless, after skinning in a game handling establishment, it has undergone post-mortem inspection and been declared fit for human consumption.

8. This Chapter is to apply without prejudice to animal health rules on health marking.

APPENDIX 1I

EXTRACT FROM REGULATION (EC) No 853/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND OF THE COUNCIL OF 29 APRIL 2004 [H 2]

AMENDMENTS BY COMMISSION REGULATIONS 2074/2005 AND 2076/2005 ARE SHOWN IN ITALICS.

SUBJECT:IDENTIFICATION MARKING

ANNEX II

REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING SEVERAL PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

SECTION I: IDENTIFICATION MARKING

When required in accordance with Article 5 or 6, and subject to the provisions of Annex III, food business operators must

ensure that products of animal origin have an identification mark applied in compliance with the following provisions.

A. APPLICATION OF THE IDENTIFICATION MARK

1. The identification mark must be applied before the product leaves the establishment.

2. However, a new mark need not be applied to a product unless its packaging and/or wrapping is removed or it is further processed in another establishment, in which case the new mark must indicate the approval number of the establishment where these operations take place.

3. An identification mark is not necessary for eggs in respect of which Regulation (EC) No 1907/90 (1) lays down requirements concerning labelling or marking.

4. Food business operators must, in accordance with Article 18 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, have in place systems and procedures to identify food business operators from whom they have received and to whom they have delivered products of animal origin.

B. FORM OF THE IDENTIFICATION MARK

5. The mark must be legible and indelible, and the characters easily decipherable. It must be clearly displayed for the competent authorities.

6. The mark must indicate the name of the country in which the establishment is located, which may be written out in full or shown as a two-letter code in accordance with the relevant ISO standard.

In the case of Member States, however, these codes are BE, CZ, DK, DE, EE, GR, ES, FR, IE, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PL, PT, SI, SK, FI, SE, and UK..

7. The mark must indicate the approval number of the establishment. If an establishment manufactures both food to which this Regulation applies and food to which it does not, the food business operator may apply the same identification mark to both types of food.

8. When applied in an establishment located within the Community, the mark must be oval in shape and include the abbreviation CE, EC, EF, EG, EK, EY, ES, EÜ, EK, EB or WE.

C. METHOD OF MARKING

9. The mark may, depending on the presentation of different products of animal origin, be applied directly to the product, the wrapping or the packaging, or be printed on a label affixed to the product, the wrapping or the packaging. The mark may also be an irremovable tag made of a resistant material.

10. In the case of packaging containing cut meat or offal, the mark must be applied to a label fixed to the packaging, or printed on the packaging, in such a way that it is destroyed when the packaging is opened. This is not necessary, however, if the process of opening destroys the packaging. When wrapping provides the same protection

as packaging, the label may be affixed to the wrapping.

11. For products of animal origin that are placed in transport containers or large packages and are intended for further handling, processing, wrapping or packaging in another establishment, the mark may be applied to the external surface of the container or packaging.

12. In the case of liquid, granulate and powdered products of animal origin carried in bulk, and fishery products carried in bulk, an identification mark is not necessary if accompanying documentation contains the information specified in points 6, 7 and, where appropriate, 8.

13. When products of animal origin are placed in a package destined for direct supply to the final consumer, it is sufficient to apply the mark to the exterior of that package only.

14. When the mark is applied directly to products of animal origin, the colours used must be authorised in accordance with Community rules on the use of colouring substances in foodstuffs.

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