Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1283588
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 AUGUST 2020 9 NEWS Food safety procedures The system for approval of food producing establishments also showed shortcomings, with all approval files seen by the audit team being "largely incomplete". It turns out that the competent authority does not keep the ap- proval conditions for these estab- lishment under regular review, contrary to what is required by EU law. In contrast, the traceability of live cattle was deemed satisfacto- ry, due to the regular update of the National Livestock Database. An efficient system is also in place for emergency slaugh- ter at farms of animals unfit for transport. This has dramatically reduced the number of animals deemed unfit for transport, ar- riving at slaughterhouses. Faeces found on carcasses The slaughterhouses visited had satisfactory structures and equipment. The main slaughter- house and cutting plant in Mar- sa have been refurbished and equipped to acceptable stand- ards, even though still in need of some continuous maintenance. Still, the presence of middle- men in the cutting plant was still allowed, and they were also per- mitted to cut their own carcass- es. In one case a "rusty" saw was used. Officials in the slaughterhous- es and cutting plants visited had documented no specific checks on carcass hygiene. "Several carcasses with faecal contamination had been accept- ed for cutting" and veterinary officials did not react "to correct the deficiency". The audit team had to intervene, requesting the trimming of the affected areas, which was swiftly carried out by the available personnel. In one meat-processing estab- lishment, the audit team noted the presence of dirty crates in cleaned working areas, damaged wooden pallets in the cold store, and the presence of expired in- gredients for marinating meat. "On the first floor of this estab- lishment, where changing rooms, toilets and boot washing facilities were located, building works were still to be completed." In the meat processing estab- lishment visited, a large amount of fresh and frozen cuts of pork, beef, and poultry were packed without traceability or labelling; the date of freezing was also omitted. Several pieces of meat products, originating from other national establishments and seen in the cold store did not bear any labels or identification marks. In the poultry slaughterhouse visited, contrary to EU law, a large amount of fresh and frozen cuts was packed without tracea- bility or labelling and the date of freezing were also omitted. In another case identified in the report, no corrective actions had been documented following the appearance of three clusters of Salmonella on carcasses in 2019. Animals had to jump to the slaughter No particular issues were iden- tified in respect of animal welfare at the slaughterhouse, but reg- ulatory requirements regarding animal welfare during transport, especially those related to the suitability of vehicles, are not verified by official controls. During a visit to one of the two red meat slaughterhouses visited, the audit team noted that three cattle from Gozo who had un- dergone travel by road and ferry of nearly three hours, had been transported in a vehicle not suit- able for transport of live animals. This vehicle, a truck not belong- ing to the farmer, was normally used for the transport of bulk feeding stuff, and was equipped for unloading its load by elevat- ing its trailer. The animals had to jump over the unloading ramp, because the levels of the ramp and of the truck floor did not meet for more than 50 cm. Both slaughterhouses had ap- propriate lairages, with animals arriving the day of slaughter and provided with water. Religious slaughter of farmed animals was also systematically carried out with prior stunning. In fact slaughterhouses have ad- equate procedures for religious slaughter: all cattle undergo prior stunning with captive penetra- tive bolt, and were then killed by severing the whole throat. Good records on the maintenance of stunning equipment were kept, and stun-to-stick intervals were appropriate to ensure a satisfac- tory animal welfare. Maltese government reaction The audit was part of a series planned across the EU in 2019 after media allegations of slaugh- ter in several member states, in- cluding Germany, of cows unfit for human consumption and breaches in animal welfare rules during slaughter. The Maltese government has now announced a series of meas- ures to improve the situation, in- cluding a revamp of supervision, control and verification proce- dures. A new officer was employed specifically to carry out veteri- nary duties in the public abattoir. Quarterly audits on red meat and poultry slaughterhouses are also planned for 2020, but were post- poned due to COVID-19 meas- ures introduced by the Superin- tendent of Public Health. The Maltese authorities blamed the staff shortages on the salary levels offered to junior veterinarians in the public sector, and the Maltese language requirement to qualify for the post