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 Abattoir Assurance

All meat plants in Northern Ireland participate in the Assured British Meat Assurance Scheme for Abattoirs, Cutting and Packing plants.  This is designed to provide consumers with confidence that their requirements are being met for safe and wholesome product, produced to acceptable standards of animal welfare.  It assures buyers of beef and sheepmeat that beneficial practices are in place and being adhered to, and that there is traceability from the provider of animals to delivery of finished packs to the processor, wholesaler, catering butcher and retailer.  Participation is also necessary to qualify product to be labelled with the British Farm Standard Little Red Tractor logo. 

The Standards address aspects of operational practices and the processing environment, which impinge directly and indirectly upon the assurance of the meat product, and include food safety, animal welfare and environmental issues.  Compliance with the Standards requires participating meat plants to meet designated objectives and, where stated in the Standards, to meet those objectives through defined operational procedures and practices.  Meat plants are subjected to an annual audit by an EN45011 accredited Product Certification Body in order to gain ABM Certification of Conformity.

Full details of this scheme can be obtained on the Assured British Meat website at www.abm.org.uk/abm/aba.asp

Northern Ireland meat plants must in addition comply with a voluntary Processor Standard in order to be entitled to maintain the description “Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured” on their products supplied into the food chain.

Full details are given in the Northern Ireland Processor Standard.

Click here to view the Northern Ireland Processor Standard.