PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Slaughterhouses: Inspections (10 January 2018)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 118905, on Slaughterhouses: Inspections, what the types of audit outcomes that can be awarded to a meat establishment are; and what types of violations each such audit outcome covers.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

The audit outcomes for Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved meat establishments are:

- Good: No issues of significance for public health animal health or animal welfare during the entire 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 (NCs) identified during the audit period corrected promptly;

- Improvement Necessary: Major NCs identified at audit and / or NCs during the audit period not always responded to and corrected promptly; and

- Urgent Improvement Necessary: Multiple major NCs or critical NC identified during audit visit or interim audit period. Official intervention required to ensure public health safeguards.

Audit outcomes are based on the number and categorisation of non-compliances raised by the FSA veterinary auditors against an audit question. Each question can be assessed as:

- Compliant - Food business is operating in accordance with its food safety management systems, food safety standards and has met the requirements of the regulations;

- Minor – (NCs) Not likely to compromise public health (including food safety), animal health and welfare or lead to the handling of unsafe or unsuitable food. An isolated low risk situation and does not compromise achieving control measures of the food safety program; that is, overall the food safety program is still effective in controlling the food safety hazards. When viewed collectively a number of related minor NCs may represent a major NC;

- Major – (NCs) Likely to compromise public health (including food safety) or animal health or welfare or may lead to the production and handling of unsafe or unsuitable food if no remedial action is taken. When viewed collectively a number of related major non compliances may represent a critical non-compliance; and

- Critical - Contravention poses an imminent and serious risk to public health (including food safety) or animal health and welfare.

The number of major and critical NCs raised during an audit will drive the final outcome of the audit.

Answered by:
Steve Brine (Conservative)
19 January 2018