Poultry and lagomorphs

The specific requirements for poultry meat production are set down in Annex III, Section II of Retained EU Regulation 853/2004:

• Section 2 - Meat from Poultry and Lagomorphs

This section of regulation 853/2004 outlines the requirements from the transportation of live poultry to the slaughterhouse, right through to the requirements for slaughterhouse and cutting plant premises, as well those requirements which apply to the process of slaughtering, cutting and boning.

Direct sales of poultry by the primary producer

Retained EU Regulation 853/2004 provides several exemptions from the requirement to seek approval from the competent authority (FSS) as an approved establishment. One of these exemptions applies to the direct supply, by the producer, of small quantities of meat from poultry and lagomorphs slaughtered on the farm to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying such meat to the final consumer as fresh meat.

However, slaughtering your animals on farm also requires you to hold a certificate of competence for this activity. 

As this is a food business activity farmers need to be registered with their local authority for the activities proposed. If butchering the birds, businesses need to have a food safety management system based on hazard analysis principles (HACCP) as required by Retained EU Regulation 852/2004.

There are also specific labelling and record keeping requirements that apply to those seeking to make use of this specific exemption. These requirements are that:

“No person shall sell meat from poultry or lagomorphs unless it bears a label or other marking clearly indicating the name and address of the farm where it was slaughtered.

The producer shall–

1. keep a record in adequate form to show the number of birds and the number of lagomorphs received into, and the amounts of fresh meat despatched from, the producer's premises during each week;
2. retain the record for a period of 1 year; and
3. make the record available to an authorised officer on request”

Sampling requirements

Retained EU Regulation 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs sets out the sampling and testing required to ensure compliance with Retained (EU) food hygiene regulations No. 852/2004 and No. 853/2004.

Amongst the requirements laid out are those pertaining to the sampling method for Campylobacter in broiler carcases.

This poster sets out the Campylobacter sampling method laid out in Retained EU Regulation 2073/2005 and provides practical guidance on how to carry out this method.

The Meat Industry Guide (MIG) has a chapter on microbiological criteria.