Last Phase of EU Food Chain Rules Strives to Ensure “Farm-to-Fork” Safety

The last phase of the European Union’s (EU) food origin legislation takes effect January 1, 2010, requiring slaughterhouse operators and livestock keepers to provide Food Chain Information (FCI) for all cattle, sheep and goats sent to slaughter for human consumption. According to UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), FCI includes data about the “health of the animals being sent for slaughter, and other information relevant to the safety of meat derived from them, including medicines the animals have been given.” The rules already apply to other species such as pigs and calves.

FSA urged slaughterhouse operators, markets and livestock keepers to prepare for the changes now because once the new rules are enforced, meat from cattle, sheep or goats without FCI information will not be passed for human consumption. “The new rules are an important part of ‘farm-to-fork’ food safety controls and highlight the food safety responsibilities of livestock keepers in the meat production chain,” stated FSA in a December 9, 2009, press release.