Two audits by way of the Eu Fee’s well being and protection frame have checked out meat controls in Uruguay and France. The audit experiences were launched lately.
The digital audit by way of DG Sante in Uruguay in June 2021 coated red meat and sheep meat for export to Europe.
A prior audit in 2016 highlighted deficiencies associated with trying out of red meat for Salmonella in consignments despatched to Sweden and Finland and animal welfare tracking.
In 2021, there have been 30 institutions licensed to export bovine or ovine meat to the EU. Virtually 18,500 heaps of red meat was once despatched to Europe in 2020 in comparison to 216 heaps of sheep meat.
The hot audit record published good enough enforcement powers, traceability and tests to make sure exported merchandise meet EU requirements.
Auditors discovered some gaps within the nationwide authority’s wisdom or figuring out of sure EU necessities, leading to approval of lactic acid to cut back floor contamination in sheep carcasses. Then again, earlier than the audit had ended, officers had despatched a letter to team of workers informing them using lactic acid to cut back contamination can handiest be used on red meat carcasses.
The audit additionally recognized shortcomings within the authority’s procedures to ensure meals trade compliance with microbiological standards own-checks. Directions don’t require reputable veterinarians to test that sampling is completed in keeping with EU regulations. At one slaughterhouse the reputable veterinarian had accredited choice sampling and trying out procedures that had now not been validated as an identical with the strategies in EU regulation.
The governmental microbiological sampling program integrated 1,725 samples from red meat carcasses in 2020 and just one was once certain.
From June 2019 to June 2021, Uruguay gained 8 Speedy Alert Device for Meals and Feed (RASFF) experiences from the EU that have been on account of detection of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in bovine meat. Auditors verified the motive was once investigated with movements taken and verified to stop a reoccurrence.
French findings
The opposite faraway audit, in France, in November and December 2020 assessed the manufacturing of bovine meat, together with traceability and accrued data at the poultry sector.
For ante-mortem and autopsy inspection of bovine animals, regulations don’t make sure an reputable veterinarian (OV) is provide within the slaughterhouse all the time. This implies some duties could also be performed by way of the reputable auxiliary beneath the accountability, somewhat than with the supervision of the OV, which is in opposition to EU regulations.
Knowledge given to the audit staff displays that reputable veterinarians at slaughterhouses can settle for animals that experience suffered an coincidence as being are compatible for delivery. This isn’t in step with EU necessities as the adventure might motive further struggling.
Government have additionally now not offered any measures to be sure that personal veterinarians act independently and are loose from conflicts of hobby when appearing reputable tasks.
To be had information suggests 880 poultry slaughterhouses, chargeable for 30 p.c of nationwide manufacturing, don’t seem to be running in step with EU necessities at the presence of reputable team of workers, basically on account of recruitment difficulties.
The audit discovered ante-mortem and autopsy inspections in websites slaughtering greater than 150,000 poultry in line with 12 months don’t at all times happen beneath the supervision of the OV. In websites slaughtering lower than 150,000 poultry in line with 12 months, the ante-mortem inspection isn’t performed beneath the supervision of the OV.
The place the autopsy inspection takes position beneath the accountability of the OV, the presence of the reputable auxiliary isn’t ensured. That is in opposition to EU legislation that states slaughterhouse team of workers might handiest carry out such duties beneath instruction, and within the presence, of the OV or reputable auxiliary.
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