Meat Hygiene Service (Hansard, 29 April 1999)

§ Mr. Nick Brown

I have set the Meat Hygiene Service the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

Operational and service delivery 1. To control specified risk material To take all measures necessary to ensure full compliance in licensed premises with Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 and other related statutory instruments. 2. To maintain the formal training programme for staff in HAS To ensure that all MHS contract and employed OVSs have received formal training in HAS by the end of the year. 3. To raise HAS scores To ensure that at the end of 1999 –2000 on a rolling three-month average at least 93 per cent. of licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 65 and that 75 per cent. of all licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 70. 4. To implement strictly the MHS clean livestock strategy To implement strictly the Clean Livestock Policy by ensuring that the percentage of cattle and sheep allowed to be slaughtered under special precautions in categories 3 and 4 is below 10 per cent. of those initially rejected over the course of the year (category 5 animals may not be slaughtered for human consumption). 5. To ensure a strict prohibition on faecal contamination To ensure a strict prohibition on carcases showing any faecal contamination being health-marked for human consumption. 6. Animal Welfare To ensure that the Welfare at Slaughter and Killing Regulations 1995 are enforced in licensed slaughterhouses and to maintain effective monitoring of compliance; to carry out an animal welfare survey in all slaughterhouses by the end of the year.

Efficiency 7. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

Financial Performance 8. To charge costs to industry To charge plant operators the recoverable costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant legislation and accruals accounting and Industry Charges Guide) of providing the statutory health inspection at fresh meat premises. 9. To recover full costs from Government To recover from Government Departments, Agencies and the Intervention Board the full economic costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant charging legislation and accruals accounting) of providing agreed services or other work undertaken on their behalf. 10. To comply with cash restraints To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.