Non-Tariff Barriers

Non-Tariff Measure

NTM classification

P9: Export measures n.e.s. 

Date when the measure came into force

06 April 1984 

Publication where the measure is specified

Statutory Instrument 111 of 1984 

Regulation where the measure is specified

Produce Export (Abattoir, Slaughter and Meat Hygiene) Regulations, 1984 (Statutory Instrument 111 of 1984) 

Country/Region applying the measure

Zimbabwe 

The rationale of the measure

Not specified in the regulations 

Coded list of objectives

X: For purposes n.e.s. 

Description of the measure

REQUIREMENTS IN RESPECT OF CONSTRUCTION AND FACILITIES FOR EXPORT ESTABLISHMENTS
Security
7. An export establishment shall have a complete perimeter-fence or wall with lockable gates to control access to and exit from the premises.
8. (1) The lairage for animals shall be separated from the stunning area, and shall have –
(a) sufficient accommodation for all animals which are to be slaughtered in any 24 hour period ; and
(b) a roofed section for the housing of animals which are scheduled to be slighted within the next twelve hours; and
(c)floors constructed of concrete or of similar durable impermeable non slip material , which shall be –
(i) sufficiently sloped and drained to permit thorough cleaning and disposal of waste material in such a way as to avoid contamination of other pens walkways ; and
(ii) kerbed to a height of at least three hundred millimeters to minimize cross contamination from adjacent pens and walkways;
and
(d) Sufficient artificial lighting in the roofed section to permit inspectionof animals at all times; and
(e) separate water- troughs for each pen which areof adequate capacity which are of adequate capacity to supply water to all animalsin that pen awaiting slaughter; and
(f) divisions between pens and walkways which are constructed of impermeable and easily cleaned material , free from sharp projections and of sufficient height and strength to contain the animals; and
(g) adequate separate lockable quarantine facilities for the inspection and detention of animals together with adequate postmortem and incineration facilities for dead animals
(2)Lairage for poultry shall consist of –
(a) a separate roofed receiving area for the holding of poultry prior to slaughter, with a weather proof roof and an impervious easily cleanable floor sufficiently sloped and drained ; and
(b) a special lockable room , which is easy to clean and disinfect , exclusively for poultry suffering from or suspected to be suffering from a disease or dead on arrival.
Construction of buildings
9(1) the floors of and export establishment shall be-
(a) Made of concrete or similar impermeable material which is easily cleaned and resistant to wear and corrosion ; and
(b) Adequately graded, which in meat working areas shall have a fall of not less than 1 in 100; and
(c) Cover at their junction with walls or columns to a radius of not less than fifty millimeters; and
(d) Drained by means of –
(i) Open-dished drains having a maximum depth from the floor-level of two hundred millimeters; or
(ii) Box-drains fitted with covers which may be easily removed and cleaned; or
(iii) Enclosed drains protected by traps , which may be easily removed and cleaned.
(2) the walls shall beconstructed of impervious , non-toxic, non-absorbent, easily cleanable material , and shall have a smooth light coloured surface to be a height of at least three metres from the floor, capable of being cleaned without damage to the to the surface , and with window-sills sloped to an angle of at least thirty degrees.
(3) Every room, where meat is handled and the air temperature is artificially controlled, shall have a ceiling constructed of an impervious material of a type approved by the director , which shall , in any case, inhibit the growth of moulds and the accumulation of bacteria.
(4) The facilities for slaughtering, dehairing and dressing of pigs shall be situated in an area which is completely separated from those areas in which other animals are slaughtered:
Provided that this complete separation shall not be necessary if pigs are slaughtered at different times from other animals , but in , such cases , scalding, dehairing , scraping and singeing must be carried out in special places, which are clearly separated from the slaughter -line either by an open space of five metres or a partition at least three metres high.
(5) Aseparate room shall be provided for the emptying and cleansing of stomachs and intestines.
(6) Any area used for the preparation of casings or tripes shall be complete separated from the rest of the abattoir.
(7) Separate facilities shall be provided for the storage of –
(a) tallow; and
(b) hides, horns and hooves; and
(c ) pig bristles; and
(d )Feathers; and pig casings
(e ) Pig casings; and
(f ) Condemned material for the manufacture of meat and bone-meal
(8) where the preparation of products containing meat intended for export takes place, the storage of vegetables shall be separate from that of dry goods, such as spices and cereals , and they shall be prepared separately , except where mixing and final preparation occurs.
(9) separate wash-bays shall be provided with suitable equipment for cleaning and disinfection of-
(a) animal and poultry delivery vehicles; or
(b) meat delivery vehicles.
(10)where faeces and ingesta are not removed from the premises on a daily basis a separate area with impervious floor , with drainage to suitable outlets, shall be provided for the holding of such material in such a way that it will not create a nuisance.
(11) any premises used for slaughtering poultry for export shall have at least the following separate rooms for –
(a) Stunning, bleeding and plucking; and
(b) evisceration, dressing and inspection ; and
(c ) packing at controlled temperatures ; and
(d ) facilities for holding chilled or frozen poultry meat; and
(e)storage of poultry meat which has been detailed at the time; and
(f ) storage of unfit poultry meat.
(12) In all export establishments-
(a) adequate natural or artificial lighting shall be provided, and in meat- working areas , the lighting shall not alter natural colours and shall be of an intensity which is deemed adequate by the director; and
(b) adequate ventilation and steam extraction shall be provided where the director may consider it necessary to ensure that the air is not contaminated with dust, smoke, odours or excess moisture ; and
(c)All doors and doorways to the roomsin which carcasses, meat, offal and entrails are processed, packed or stored shall be so constructed as to exclude vermin and dirtand shall have smooth , easily cleanable impervious surfaces; and
(d ) platforms, ladders, tables, chutes, rails and similar equipment shall be resistant to fracture, and have a non-absorbent surface which is rustles and non-corrodible and can easily be cleaned ; and
(e ) overhead rails for the suspension of carcasses or portions thereof shall not come into contact with the walls or other surfaces, pillars, columns, doors and floors at any time ;
(f ) sawdust or wood shavings or similar material shall not be used , except in a smoke-chamber; and
(g) water used for any purpose shall be of potable standard, except where the use of non-potable water has been approved by the director; in which case pies installed for this purpose must be clearly differentiated from those carrying potable water and must not pass through rooms containing fresh meat; and
(h ) no detergents, bacteriostatics, disinfectants or pesticides shall be used unless approved by the director, and shall not be used in a manner which is likely to affect the wholesomeness of any edible product; and
(I ) equipment and instruments used for dressing or preparing carcasses, meat offal or any other product shall be kept clean and in a good state of repair and equipment used on fresh meat shall be cleaned and disinfected several times a day, at the end of the day’s work and at any time after becoming contaminated, before re-use; and
(j) rooms, instruments and equipment used for working on fresh meat and clean offal shall be used only for that purpose; and
(k ) fresh meat and meat containers shall not come into direct contact with the floor ; and
(l) proper equipment for protection against insects , vermin and birds shall be provided subject to any direction that the director may give

Facilities for veterinary public health staff
10. All export establishments shall be provided with a separate , refridgerated, lockable detention- room for the purpose of holding carcasses, meat or offal for further examination.
(2) There shall be provided for all veterinary public healthand grading staff at export establishments such facilities, includingsuch working space and equipment as may be required by thedirector, for the purpose of ensuring that inspection and gradingprocedures required can be efficiently carried out.
(3) At all export establishments, there shall be providedsufficient lockable furnished accommodation and laboratory facilities as the veterinary public health authorities may require,
including a room suitably equipped for carrying out a trichinoscope test where such a test is required.

Animals or poultry submitted for slaughter
11. (1) No person shall send or permit to be sent on his behalf to any export establishment any animal or poultry that—
(a) is dead or dying; or
(b) is exhausted or injured; or
(c) is diseased or has been in contact with a diseasedanimal or has any condition which may affect the generalhealth of the animal and which may render the meat,offal or any product of the animal unwholesome ofunsound; or
(d) is clinically infected with salmonellosis or tuberculosisor which has been in contact during the last four dayswith any animal which has been clinically infected withsalmonellosis or in which any form of tuberculosishas been found or which reacts positively to a tuberculin
test, and is thus found to be suffering from tuberculosis; or
(e) has had any antibiotic, insecticide, tranquillizer, oestrogen, therapeutic goitrogen or similar substanceadministered to it within such time-period beforeslaughter as may render the carcass, meat, offal or by-product unwholesome by virtue of any residue of suchsubstance.
(2) No animal or poultry shall be consigned to an exportestablishment except for slaughter:
Provided that, in exceptional circumstances where theanimals or poultry have been consigned to the establishment inerror, they may be redirected subject to the discretion of the
veterinary public health officer.

PART III
SLAUGHTERING
Handling and humane slaughter of animals
12. (1) No animals shall be slaughtered at an exportestablishment except in accordance with the methods and proceduresapproved by the director.
(2) The driving or conveying of an animal to a place whereit is to be rendered insensible by any method prior to slaughtershall be done with minimum discomfort to, or excitement of, such animal.
(3) The handling of animals during slaughter shall be done in a manner which will avoid unnecessary suffering.
(4) the restraining and casting equipment shall be of a type approved by the director.

Stunning
13. (1) The stunning of an animal may be carried out using
a captive bolt gun:
Provided that—
(a) the instrument shall be of a type and design approvedby the director; and
(b) the stunning area shall be so designed and constructedso as to allow the stunning operator to apply thestunning blow with a high degree of accuracy to renderthe animal insensible immediately.
(2) The stunning of a sheep, pig, goat, calf or poultry maybe carried out by exposure to an electrical current:
Provided that—
(a) it will quickly and calmly induce anaesthesia, which will last for the duration of the subsequent shackling andbleeding; and
(b) the quality, strength and method of application of theelectric current shall be specified by the director; and
(c) a visible voltmeter shall be incorporated into theelectrical circuit.
(3) The stunning of pigs may be carried out by exposure tocarbon dioxide gas:
Provided that—
(a) the gas shall be administered in a chamber approved by the director so as to quickly and calmly render the animal insensible, which will last for the duration of subsequent shackling and bleeding; and
(b) the operator of the chamber shall ensure that everyanimal is anaesthetized, and shall take every precautionto avoid overdose and death of the animal.
(4) Poultry and rabbits shall be stunned by a methodapproved by the director.
(5) No person shall use any instrument for slaughter orstunning unless the director is satisfied that such person is in asatisfactory condition, has the ability to use the instrument and
will not cause the animal unnecessary suffering.

Bleeding
14. (1) The bleeding of an animal shall be carried outimmediately after stunning.
(2) Bleeding shall be carried out by incising the blood-vessels of the neck with a suitable sharp instrument, causing animmediate, continuous and uninterrupted flow of blood.
(3) No animal or poultry shall be held without prior stunning, except in the case of bona fide religious slaughter, which—
(a) shall be conducted under such circumstances andas the director may prescribe; and
(b) shall be performed as humanely as possible by a personauthorized in writing by the regional governing body of the religion.
(4) Cattle shall be bled in hanging position, except thoseslaughtered in accordance with certain religious rites or in the caseof emergency slaughter, according to the instructions of veterinary
public health officer.

PART IV
HANDLING, DRESSING, AND INSPECTION OF CARCASSES AND BY-PRODUCTS

Handling of animals

15. (1) The director, having regard to the veterinary meatinspection requirements of any export establishment, may specifythe maximum rate at which any particular category of animal may be slaughtered and dressed after consultation with the licensee or management.
(2) The rate of stunning and bleeding of any animals shall at all times be coordinated with the dressing procedure, to the satisfaction of a veterinary public health officer.
(3) The management of an export establishment shallprovide a veterinary public health officer with–
(a) a daily schedule showing the estimated hours of work;and
(b) at least twenty-four hours’ notice or any shorter periodaccepted by the veterinary public health officer, of any meat inspection required outside of any normal hours; and
(c) the name of the owner and the origin of the animalsto be slaughtered on a specific day.

Dressing
16. (1) The skin or hide of a slaughtered animal shall beremoved as soon as possible after bleeding, and before evisceration:
Provided that it shall not be necessary to remove the skinof a pig, in which case the skin shall be thoroughly washed andscalded in water of not less than sixty degrees Celsius and dehaired
before evisceration.
(2) The carcass shall be eviscerated as soon as possible,and the stomach and intestines shall be removed within forty-fiveminutes after stunning, failing which a veterinary public health
officer may detain the carcass and offal and subject them to anytests or examination that he may require.
(3) The dressing of a carcass shall be so performed that
no part of the carcass, head or official shall come into contact with the floor or outer surface of the hide, and in such a manner so as toprevent contaminations of the carcass, meat, head or other parts.
(4) Lactating or diseased udders shall be removed from all carcasses immediately after the hide has been removed, and in such a manner as to prevent contamination of the carcass.
(5) The urinary bladder and uterus shall not be openedduring the dressing of the carcass or in the same room where carcasses are dressed.
(6) The stomachs and intestines shall not be opened during evisceration.
(7) offal shall be removed from a carcass in such amanner as not to cause contamination.
(8) The head of any bovine carcass shall be adequatelywashed and flushed out with running water after it has beenskinned.
(9), No carcass, meat, offal or any other part shall be washedexcept with potable water.
(10) No cloth, wad, brush or similar article shall be usedin the washing, cleaning or drying of any carcass, meat, offal orother part.
(11) Where the tongue or brain is intended for humanconsumption, it shall be removed promptly, unless a head isintended for sale in its entire state.
(12) No hides, hooves or horns shall be washed or defleshed, processed or left in any part of the abattoir premises used for the slaughtering or dressing of animals.
Carcasses and other parts brought into an export establishment
23. If any carcass, meat, offal or any meat product is brought into an export establishment, the management shall-
(a) ensure that it has come from another export establishment; and
(b) on its arrival, notify a veterinary public health officer who shall examine it and instruct on its disposal ; and
(c ) keep a register, which shall be available for examination by a veterinary public health officer, showing its source, the quantity and date of arrival.
Cutting plants in export establishments
24. (1) In an export establishment where the cutting of fresh meat takesplace , the cutting plant shall have-
(a) a chilling-room large enough for the chilling and holding of all fresh meat which is to be deboned or cut; and
(b) a separate room for the handling, cutting and deboning of fresh meat, which shall contain-
(i) coolingequipment to ensure that the ambient temperature does not rise above ten degrees Celsius ; and
(ii) a recording thermometer; and
(iii )adequate equipment for the cleaning and disinfecting hands and implements as near as practical to workstations and in no case further than ten metres away, with taps which are non-hand operated and provide water at not less than forty0two degrees Celsius for hand washing and eighty-two degrees Celsius for the cleaning of implements; and
(iv) Instruments and working equipment, such as cutting-tables, meat containers, conveyor-belts and saws , made of durable and impervious material, which is not liable to taint meat and is easily cleaned and disinfected; and
(c ) a separate room for packing operations ; and
(d ) a chilling-room for freezer to hold the cut packed meat prior to dispatch.
(2) The rooms specified in subsection (1) shall have floors and walls constructed to the standards laid down in section 9.
(3) Wood shall not be used in any form in a cutting room.
(4) A cutting plant where carcasses or meat are prepared shall in no way connect with the premises where food stuff, other than fresh meat are handled or stored.
(5) The use or presence of any substance or structure which may affect the organoleptic quality of meat in a cutting plant is prohibited.
(6) The cutting plant shall have a water-disposal system which shall comply with the requirements of the director.
Preparation of pet’s-food in export establishments
25. (1) Pets’-food shall be prepared and stored in a separate room, with separate facilities approved by the director, to ensure that it is prepared , processed, packed or sorted under hygienic conditions and that it shall in no way be detrimental to or contaminate any products intended for human consumption.
(2) no carcass, meat, offal or other products may be used for the purpose of pet’s-food without the prior approval of the director.
(3) All pet’s –food shall be packed in clean , sealed containers or packages approved by the director with wording clearly and legibly printed or stamped thereon, indicating-
(a) that they contain pet’s-food; and
(b) the words “not intended for human consumption”; and
(c) the identification number of the export establishment .
(4) In respect of carcasses , meat, offal or other product allocated for the preparation of pet’s- food, the veterinary public health officer shall keep record of –
(a) their number and type; and
(b) the date on which they were allocated or tested bacteriologically; and
(c ) the date on which they were dispatched for preparation as pet’s- food.
POULTRY
Poultry slaughter, handling and hygiene
32. Subject to the provisions of these regulations, the following condition shall apply to poultry export establishments-
(a) live poultry may not be kept at a poultry establishment other than suitable cages, which must be made of corrosion resistant material and be easy to clean and disinfect; and
(b) such poultry export establishments shall be cleaned each time they are sued; and
(c ) live poultry shall not be kept an and export establishment for more than twenty –four hours prior to slaughter , except with the permission of a veterinary public health officer and under conditions specified by him ; and
(d ) Poultry suffering from fowl plague, New Castle disease , rabies, salmonellosis , fowl cholera or ornithosis, or where it is established that they have been in contact with other poultry suffering from these diseases , may not be slaughtered at an export establishment; and
(e) poultry shall be bled immediately after being stunned by severing the neck vessels , and at least ninety seconds shall be allowed for bleeding domestic fowl and two minutes for turkeys; and
(f) defeathering shall take place immediately after bleeding, and in such a way to prevent scattering of feathers; and
(g) evisceration shall be carried out immediately after defeathering and the carcass must be opened in such a way that the cavities and all the viscera can be inspected for which purpose the natural connections of the viscera must remain intact until inspection ; and
(h) a bird or the whole carcass and viscera shall be condemned by a veterinary health officer if on either ante or post –mortem inspection, it is found to have anthrax, botulism erysipelas, listeriosis, tularaemia, pyaemia, toxaemia, abnormal colour, odour or consistency, decomposition, cachexia, jaundice, emaciation, ascites, leucosis, general contamination, tuberculosis, overscalding , or any other condition or disease as the director may prescribe; and
(i) immediately after evisceration , a poultry carcass and giblets shall be cooled as rapidly as possible to a temperature of not more than plus four degrees Celsius; and
(j) after cooling , if poultry is to be stored in and unfrozen state, the temperature of the carcass shall not exceed plus four degrees Celsius at any time; and
(k) water used or cooling shall be potable, and shall not be re-circulated unless it continues to conform to the requirements of potable water; and
(l) ice used for cooling shall be made from potable water and shall be kept free from contamination before use; and
(m) no antibiotic substances shall be added to any poultry carcass or portion thereof or edible poultry product or to any water or ice used in a poultry establishment ; and
(n) poultry carcasses, giblets or portions of carcasses stored in cold rooms shall be inspected regularly for mould growth or other signs of deterioration, and they shall be stored so as to permit adequate circulation of air round them , and shall not be placed directly onto the floor of the room; and
(o) fresh poultry meat or portions thereof or giblets intended for export shall be transported in such a way that temperatures shall not exceed plus four degrees Celsius during transport. 

Reference of the measure

Articles 7-16 , 23-25 and 32 

Measure also domestic

Yes 

Products affected by the measure.

Description

Carcasses, meat, offal or by-products of edible animals and poultry 

Countries/Regions affected by the measure.

Description

All countries