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The European Commission published Regulation (EU) No. 1137/2014 amending Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin for food business operators.
In accordance with Annex III to that Regulation, prior to being transported to another establishment, feet of ungulates destined for further handling are to be skinned or scalded and depilated and stomachs of ruminants must be scalded or cleaned within the slaughterhouse. he equipment necessary to perform the skinning or scalding and depilating requires a high investment. Therefore, small and medium-size slaughterhouses in particular are not able to handle feet destined for human consumption themselves in a cost-effective way.
The requirements for handling of offal in that Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004, including the temperature requirements during storage and transport, ensure that these products can be safely handled and transported to an establishment outside the slaughterhouse, collected from different slaughterhouses and valorised. The transport to another establishment of non-skinned or non-scalded and non-depilated feet of ungulates should therefore be allowed by the competent authority.
Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 should therefore be amended accordingly.
Article 1 In Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, point 18 of Chapter IV of Section I is replaced by the following: ‘18. When destined for further handling: (a) stomachs must be scalded or cleaned; however, in the case of stomachs of young ruminants intended for rennet production, the stomachs need only be emptied; (b) intestines must be emptied and cleaned; (c) heads and feet must be skinned or scalded and depilated; however, when authorised by the competent authority, visibly clean feet may be transported to and skinned or scalded and depilated in an approved establishment further handling the feet for processing into food.’.
Tuesday October 28, 2014/ OJEU/ European Union.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/
