Auditing Meat Establishments
Auditing Meat Establishments
Auditing Meat Establishments
How we audit your meat premises and what you need to know as a food business owner.
Not all the sections need to be completed for every establishment. This will depend on the type
of establishment and the activities it carries out.
Scoring of audits
Our audits are risk based. Each section of the audit checklist is fully assessed during the audit
process. Scoring of the audit questions are based on objective evidence.
Compliant
An audit question is assessed as compliant if it:
is found to be in accordance with the Food Business Owners (FBOs) food safety
management system
In the case of slaughterhouses, they need to meet the requirements of animal and welfare laws,
too.
Minor non-compliance
Minor non-compliances are low risk situations which don’t prevent an establishment from
achieving the control measures of their food safety, animal health and welfare programmes.
When there are a number of related minor non-compliances, it may become a major non-
compliance.
Major non-compliance
If no action is taken to resolve non-compliant incidents, they can become major non-
compliances. This happens when a non-compliance compromises:
public health
When there are a number of related major non-compliances, it may become a critical non-
compliance.
Critical non-compliance
An assessment of non-compliant incidents, where there is a serious risk to public health, animal
health or welfare.
Compliance ratings
Good - no issues of significance for public health, animal health or animal welfare during the
entire audit period.
Generally satisfactory - no immediate issues of significance for public health, animal health or
animal welfare identified on the day of the audit. Any non-compliances identified during the audit
period have been corrected promptly.
Highly compliant slaughterhouses will be audited every three years and highly compliant cutting
plants every two years.
Intervention Protocol
The intervention protocol document provides information about action that will be taken if a FBO
doesn’t put measures in place to raise levels of compliance. This is a legal requirement.
Intervention protocol for FSA approved meat establishments (from Chapter 7 of the Manual for
official controls)
View Record of food business operator and veterinarian meeting as Word (52 KB)
View Report of head of operational delivery and field veterinary leader meeting. as Word (56 KB)
View Example FSA intervention log as Excel (40 KB)
View FSA intervention record as Excel (44 KB)
View Field veterinary leader review of approval report as Word (451.5 KB)
Scotland
In Scotland these audits are carried out by Food Safety Scotland (FSS).
We carry out routine audits of approved meat establishments in England and Wales including:
slaughterhouses
cutting plants
game handling establishments
Audits are done by government Veterinary Auditors (VA) and are intended to ensure that:
Full details of the audit process and instructions to our officials are in chapter 4 of the Manual for
Official Controls.
In Northern Ireland, these audits are carried out by the Department of Agriculture Environment
and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on behalf of the us in Northern Ireland.