The Fresh Meat Regulations are being amended so that all red meat animals are subject to full meat inspection and health marking even if intended for the owner's own use. The aim is to prevent the risk of un-inspected meat being sold for human consumption.
The Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations are being amended so that the sterilisation and staining requirements of those Regulations for unfit meat apply also to meat from bovine animals slaughtered for human consumption but subsequently found to be over 30 months of age. This will prevent owners claiming such meat back for their own consumption and thereby remove the risk of it being illegally sold for human consumption.
The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection)(Amendment) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2074) amend the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/539). The Animal By-Products (Identification) (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2073) amend the Animal By-Products (Identification) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/614).
The term "private kill" refers to the situation where the meat from a slaughtered animal is returned to its owner for his/her own use other than for sale.