Food Chain Information

Legislation comes into force on 1st January 2010 requiring slaughterhouse operators to 'request, receive, check and act upon' food chain information (FCI) for all cattle, sheep and goats sent for slaughter for human consumtion. This requirement forms part of the whole chain, farm-to-fork approach to food safety introduced by the Hygiene Regulations from the beginning of 2006. FCI has been progressively implemented for the food animal species - poultry 2006, pigs 2008, calves and horses 2009, cattle, sheep and goats 2010.

All animals sold for slaughter, such as fat and cull cattle and fat and cull sheep (and goats) must now come with a document providing the food chain information required. As farmers you must provide this to the market and we must pass it on to the purchasers of all slaughter animals.

The information required is a declaration from you, the owner, that;

For Cattle

  • The holding is not under movement restrictions for bovine Tuberculosis (TB)
  • Cattle on the holding are not under movement restrictions for other animal disease or public health reasons (excluding a 6-day standstill)
  • Withdrawal periods have been observed for all veterinary medicines and other treatments administered while on this holding and previous holdings.
  • To the best of your knowledge the animals are not showing signs of any disease or condition that may affect the safety of meat derived from them.
  • No analysis of samples taken from animals on the holding or other samples has shown that the animals in this consignment may have been exposed to any disease or condition that may affect the safety of meat or to substances likely to result in residues in meat.

For sheep

  • Sheep and goats on the holding are not under movement restrictions for animal disease or public health reasons (excluding a 6-day standstill)
  • Withdrawal periods have been observed for all veterinary medicines and other treatments administered while on this holding and previous holdings.
  • To the best of your knowledge the animals are not showing signs of any disease or condition that may affect the safety of meat derived from them.
  • No analysis of samples taken from animals on the holding or other samples has shown that the animals in this consignment may have been exposed to any disease or condition that may affect the safety of meat or to substances likely to result in residues in meat.

For fat cattle and cull cows the information will be included in BJP marts entry forms, but it will be very important that you now complete and sign an entry form to come with all cattle intended for slaughter. For sheep and goats it will be incorporated in the movement license (AML1) so please make sure that you have the new version AML1 from 1st January 2010. Animals which do not have the new BJP entry forms or sheep sold without the new AML1 movement license will require an additional declaration document which will use up a lot of time so please make sure for cattle that you supply a new BJP entry form and for sheep a new version AML1.

If you wish to know more about this legislation and its requirements please contact us on any of the numbers below.

Carmarthen Mart - 01267 236268
Huw Evans - 07976 328177
Nigel Griffiths - 01437 769295
John Eirian Davies - 07971 202311