{"id":"environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001","name":"Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001","slug":"environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":176577,"registerId":"wa-environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nEnvironmental Protection Act 1986\n\nEnvironmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001\n\nWestern Australia\n\nEnvironmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001\n\nContents\n\nPart 1 — Preliminary\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Interpretation 1\n\n3. Application 2\n\nPart 2 — Control of dust\n\n4. No emission of visible dust from abattoirs during operation or construction 3\n\nPart 3 — Disposal of dead animals\n\n5. Disposal of dead animals 4\n\nPart 4 — Drainage and the collection of waste materials\n\n6. Design of lairage pens, raceways, and solid waste storage areas 5\n\n7. Drainage or discharge from a slaughterhouse 5\n\n8. Drainage of floors of bleeding area 5\n\n9. Storage of waste material 6\n\nPart 5 — Waste water treatment\n\n10. Uncontaminated storm water not to enter waste water treatment system 7\n\n11. Treatment of contaminated water from lairage pens 7\n\n12. Disposal of solids 7\n\n13. Waste water treatment structures 7\n\n14. Treated waste water irrigation management plan 8\n\nPart 6 — Miscellaneous\n\n15. Offences and penalties 9\n\n16. Transitional 9\n\n17. Amendment of the *Environmental Protection Regulations 1987* 9\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 10\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nEnvironmental Protection Act 1986\n\nEnvironmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001\n\n## Part 1 — Preliminary\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\nThese regulations may be cited as the *Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001*.\n\n##### 2. Interpretation\n\nIn these regulations unless the contrary intention appears —\n\nabattoir, in relation to an operator, means an abattoir to which these regulations apply at which the operator slaughters animals;\n\nbucket trap means a device used to collect solids in a waste water treatment system;\n\ncontainment structure means a structure in a waste water treatment system in which waste water is contained;\n\nexisting facility means any premises being used as an abattoir immediately before the day on which these regulations come into operation;\n\noperator means a person who operates an abattoir;\n\nsave-all means a tank where greases and oils are collected by settlement or flotation;\n\nslaughterhouse means any building on an abattoir in which animals are slaughtered;\n\ntreated waste water means water that has been treated in a waste water treatment system;\n\ntreated waste water irrigation management plan means a treated waste water irrigation management plan approved under regulation 14;\n\nwaste water treatment system means the system used for treating waste water from the operations of an abattoir.\n\n##### 3. Application\n\nThese regulations apply to an abattoir if the production or design capacity of the abattoir is —\n\n(a) more than 100 tonnes per year; and\n\n(b) less than 1 000 tonnes per year.\n\n[Regulation 3 inserted: Gazette 8 May 2012 p. 1892.]\n\n## Part 2 — Control of dust\n\n##### 4. No emission of visible dust from abattoirs during operation or construction\n\n(1) An operator must not carry on the operations of an abattoir unless it is carried on in such a manner that no visible dust escapes from the abattoir.\n\n(2) A person constructing an abattoir must ensure that no visible dust escapes from the premises on which the abattoir is being constructed during the course of the construction.\n\n## Part 3 — Disposal of dead animals\n\n##### 5. Disposal of dead animals\n\nUnless otherwise directed by a public body under a written law, an operator must ensure that any dead animal on the abattoir that has not been slaughtered on it is within 24 hours after the operator becoming aware of its death —\n\n(a) taken to a rendering facility;\n\n(b) taken to a waste disposal facility; or\n\n(c) disposed of in a manner approved by the Chief Executive Officer.\n\n## Part 4 — Drainage and the collection of waste materials\n\n##### 6. Design of lairage pens, raceways, and solid waste storage areas\n\nAn operator must ensure that waste water from —\n\n(a) lairage pens at the abattoir;\n\n(b) raceways from a lairage pen to a slaughterhouse at the abattoir; or\n\n(c) a solid waste storage area at the abattoir,\n\nis drained to the waste water treatment system.\n\n##### 7. Drainage or discharge from a slaughterhouse\n\n(1) An operator must ensure that the drainage system from the slaughterhouse at the abattoir to the waste water treatment system does not become blocked with solids.\n\n(2) An operator must ensure that water from the floors of the slaughterhouse is treated by means of a bucket trap, save-all, screen, or other device to remove solids, greases, and oils in or from the water before the water is discharged into the waste water treatment system.\n\n##### 8. Drainage of floors of bleeding area\n\nThe owner of an abattoir to which these regulations apply (other than an existing facility) must ensure that the perimeter of the floor of the bleeding area of a slaughterhouse is constructed so as to ensure that blood or other liquid is removed from the area by drains or dedicated collection devices.\n\n##### 9. Storage of waste material\n\nAn operator must ensure that —\n\n(a) material from the paunch of animals slaughtered at the abattoir is stored in water and vermin proof and water tight containers; and\n\n(b) dung and manure storage areas are made of an impervious material and have bunds made of an impervious material which are of sufficient height to contain the leachate.\n\n## Part 5 — Waste water treatment\n\n##### 10. Uncontaminated storm water not to enter waste water treatment system\n\nAn operator must ensure that storm water on the abattoir which is not contaminated with solids, grease, oils, or other materials from the process of slaughtering animals does not enter the waste water treatment system.\n\n##### 11. Treatment of contaminated water from lairage pens\n\nAn operator must ensure that water from the lairage pens of the abattoir is screened or otherwise treated to remove solids in the water before the water is discharged into the waste water treatment system.\n\n##### 12. Disposal of solids\n\nAn operator must ensure that all solid waste from the operations at the abattoir is taken to —\n\n(a) a rendering facility;\n\n(b) premises on which compost manufacturing and soil blending is carried out;\n\n(c) a waste disposal facility; or\n\n(d) a disposal facility approved by the Chief Executive Officer.\n\n##### 13. Waste water treatment structures\n\nAn operator must ensure that —\n\n(a) except in the case of an existing facility, a containment structure at the abattoir is impermeable;\n\n(b) a containment structure at the abattoir is operated so that there is a distance of not less than 300 mm between any point on the perimeter of the top of the structure and the surface of the water in the structure;\n\n(c) a crust or cover is maintained over an anaerobic treatment process used in a waste water treatment system;\n\n(d) in the case of a waste water treatment system which uses a pond, waste water is retained in the pond for not less than 15 days; and\n\n(e) the waste water treatment system is managed so as to ensure that an unreasonable odour does not escape from the abattoir.\n\n##### 14. Treated waste water irrigation management plan\n\nAn operator must not use treated waste water for irrigation unless a treated waste water irrigation management plan has been submitted to and approved by the Chief Executive Officer and the treated waste water is used in accordance with the plan.\n\n## Part 6 — Miscellaneous\n\n##### 15. Offences and penalties\n\nA person who contravenes any of these regulations commits an offence.\n\nPenalty: $5 000.\n\n##### 16. Transitional\n\nRegulation 14 does not apply in relation to an existing facility until the day that is 12 months after the day on which these regulations come into operation.\n\n##### 17. Amendment of the *Environmental Protection Regulations 1987*\n\nSchedule 6 to the *Environmental Protection Regulations 1987* is amended after item 25 of the entry relating to the *Environmental Protection (Concrete Batching and Cement Product Manufacturing) Regulations 1998* by inserting the following —\n\n“\n\n| Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001 |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| 1. regulation 4(1) | 250 | 500 |\n| 2. regulation 4(2) | 250 | 500 |\n| 3. regulation 5 | 250 | 500 |\n| 4. regulation 7(1) | 250 | 500 |\n| 5. regulation 9 | 250 | 500 |\n| 6. regulation 12 | 250 | 500 |\n| 7. regulation 13 | 250 | 500 |\n| 8. regulation 14 | 250 | 500 |\n\n\n”.\n\nNotes\n\nThis is a compilation of the *Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001* and includes amendments made by other written laws. For provisions that have come into operation see the compilation table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Published** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001* | 30 Mar 2001 p. 1799-1810 | 30 Mar 2001 |\n| *Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Amendment Regulations 2012* | 8 May 2012 p. 1891-2 | r. 1 and 2: 8 May 2012 (see r. 2(a));   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 9 May 2012 (see r. 2(b)) |\n\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nabattoir 2\n\nbucket trap 2\n\ncontainment structure 2\n\nexisting facility 2\n\noperator 2\n\nsave-all 2\n\nslaughterhouse 2\n\ntreated waste water 2\n\ntreated waste water irrigation management plan 2\n\nwaste water treatment system 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow scope. The 2012 amendment (noted in the compilation table) merely inserted regulation 3 to clarify the application threshold (100–1,000 tonnes), which appears to be a technical clarification or gap-filling rather than scope expansion. The regulations remain tightly focused on environmental controls for small-to-medium abattoirs as originally intended."},"complexity_factors":["Short length: Only 17 regulations across 6 Parts, approximately 10 pages","Limited defined terms: 10 defined terms in a single interpretation section (regulation 2)","Minimal cross-referencing: Only internal references to regulation 14 and the parent Act","Simple conditional logic: One threshold calculation (100–1,000 tonnes capacity), one transitional exemption for existing facilities, and one approval mechanism (CEO approval for alternative disposal methods)","No nested exceptions: Exceptions are straightforward (e.g., 'except in the case of an existing facility') without layered conditions","Clear structure: Linear Part-based organisation with descriptive headings"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set environmental rules for **small-to-medium sized abattoirs** in Western Australia — specifically those processing between 100 and 1,000 tonnes of meat per year. They aim to prevent pollution and manage waste from slaughtering operations.\n\n**Key requirements include:**\n\n*   **Dust control** — No visible dust can escape during operation or construction\n*   **Dead animal disposal** — Animals that die before slaughter must be removed within 24 hours to rendering facilities, waste disposal sites, or via CEO-approved methods\n*   **Waste water management** — All contaminated water must go through treatment systems; storm water must be kept separate; solids, grease and oils must be removed before discharge\n*   **Infrastructure standards** — Bleeding areas need proper drainage; waste storage must be vermin-proof and watertight; treatment ponds must hold water for at least 15 days\n*   **Odour control** — Treatment systems must be managed to prevent \"unreasonable odour\" escaping\n*   **Irrigation rules** — Treated waste water can only be used for irrigation with an approved management plan\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n*   **Operators** of mid-sized abattoirs (100–1,000 tonnes/year capacity)\n*   **Owners** of new abattoirs (existing facilities get some exemptions, particularly a 12-month grace period for irrigation plans)\n*   **Constructors** of abattoirs (during building phase)\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nAbattoirs generate significant waste — blood, manure, paunch contents, and contaminated water. Without proper controls, these can pollute waterways, create health hazards, and cause nuisance odours for neighbours. These regulations create a baseline environmental standard to protect public health and the environment while giving smaller operators (under 1,000 tonnes) specific rules distinct from larger facilities that likely face stricter licensing.\n\n**Penalties:**\n\nBreaching any regulation carries a **$5,000 fine** (with specific infringement notice amounts of $250 or $500 for certain offences)."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not retrievable. No comparison between original intent and final form is possible from the information provided."},"complexity_factors":["Legislative text is entirely unavailable — only a broken link notice was provided","Cannot assess actual regulatory complexity, cross-references, or technical standards","Complexity score reflects the inability to analyse content, not necessarily the legislation itself","Regulations of this type typically involve technical environmental standards which can be moderately complex, but this cannot be confirmed"],"plain_english_summary":"These Western Australian regulations set environmental standards for abattoirs—likely addressing wastewater/effluent, odour and air quality, disposal of blood, offal and other by‑products, and compliance or licensing obligations. They matter to abattoir operators, meat processors, environmental regulators, and nearby communities affected by pollution or nuisance.\n\nThe full regulatory text wasn’t available online, so consult the WA legislation website or Parliamentary Counsel for the current instrument."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument’s application was narrowed by the insertion of regulation 3 (Gazette notice cited) so it now applies only to abattoirs with production/design capacity >100 and <1,000 tonnes per year (regulation 3). Transitional relief delays application of the treated wastewater plan requirement to existing facilities for 12 months (regulation 16)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow scope defined by a capacity threshold (regulation 3) — limits applicability to >100 and <1,000 t/yr","Multiple technical, prescriptive operational standards for drainage, storage and treatment (regulations 6–13)","Specific numeric design standards to follow (eg. 300 mm freeboard in containment structures reg 13(b); minimum 15 days pond retention reg 13(d))","Approval and discretionary powers vested in the Chief Executive Officer for disposal and irrigation plans (regs 5(c), 12(d), 14)","Distinct rules and transitional relief for existing facilities (definition of existing facility and reg 16)","Single flat penalty regime for offences (reg 15) rather than tiered enforcement","Cross-reference to the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and amendment of earlier regulations (header and reg 17) — administrative layering"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations impose environmental controls on medium‑sized abattoirs (production/design capacity more than 100 and less than 1,000 tonnes per year). They require operators to prevent visible dust, remove or dispose of carcasses promptly, drain and treat wastewater, store solids and paunch material securely, and secure approval before using treated wastewater for irrigation. Operators bear compliance costs and face a $5,000 penalty for breaches (regs 3, 4, 5, 6–14, 15). The Chief Executive Officer has approval and disposal discretion (regs 5(c), 12(d), 14)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001","history":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001/history","analysis":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/environmental-protection-abattoirs-regulations-2001/documents"}}