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Commonwealth legislation
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
These Regulations impose mandatory registration, detailed building and sanitation standards, inspection, marking and export‑permit procedures for meat, meat products and edible offal intended for export, and expressly repeals earlier Commerce Regulations insofar as they relate to meat. They affect slaughterhouses, canneries, exporters and transporters: proprietors pay registration and inspection fees, the Comptroller‑General and appointed inspectors decide approvals and supervision, and exporters must change premises, handling, labelling and record‑keeping to obtain export clearance.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Commerce (Meat Export) Regulations.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
STATUTORY RULES.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE CUSTOMS ACT 1901-1922 AND THE COMMERCE (TRADE DESCRIPTIONS) ACT 1905.
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Customs Act 1901-1920, and the Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act 1905, to come into operation forthwith.
Dated this thirtieth day of March, 1923.
FORSTER,
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
AUSTIN CHAPMAN,
Minister of State for Trade and Customs.
COMMERCE (MEAT EXPORT) REGULATIONS.
Part I.—Preliminary.
Short title.
Parts.
Part I.—Preliminary.
Part II.—Registration of premises and standard requirements therefor.
Division 1.—Registration of premises.
Division 2.—Standard requirements for registered establishments.
Division 3.—Sanitation.
Division 4.—Yards, lairs, and pens.
Part III.—Supervision, Inspection, Preparation, Transportation, Marking and Trade Description of meat intended for export.
Division 1.—Supervision, Inspection, Preparation, Transportation.
Division 2.—Marking, Trade Description.
Part IV.—Exportation.
Part V.—Registration of brands.
Part VI.—Miscellaneous.
Definitions.
“Bulls” includes stags.
“Carcass” includes any part of a slaughtered animal capable of being used for human food.
C.5967.—Price 1s.
“Collector” means any Collector of Customs for any State and any principal Officer of Customs doing duty at the time and place, and any officer doing duty in the matter in relation to which the expression is used.
“Colouring matter” means any harmless colouring matter approved as such by the Comptroller-General.
“Comptroller-General” means the Comptroller-General of Customs.
“Condemned” means unfit for human food.
“Condemned truck” means a truck set apart for condemned meat.
“Coverings” means all the principal coverings in which goods are contained and in which the goods are usually sold wholesale or retail.
“Cut” means a definite and easily recognisable part of a carcass such as rump, loin, buttock, chuck, crop or as the case may be.
“Department” means the Department of Trade and Customs.
“Disease” means pleuro-pneumonia, tuberculosis, actinomycosis, melanosis, anthrax, swine fever, redwater, braxy, black leg, cancer, pseudo tuberculosis, jaundice, parasitic infestation, and any disease in stock declared by the Governor-General by Proclamation to be a disease for the purposes of these Regulations; and includes any defect, inferiority or abnormal condition in the meat which, in the opinion of an inspector, renders it unsightly or unfit for human food.
“Edible offal” means any edible portion of a carcass, other than the flesh, which has been passed by an inspector as fit for export and includes sausage casings.
“Inspector” means any officer of Customs appointed by the Comptroller-General by notice in the Gazette to inspect and pass meat, meat products, and edible offal intended for export.
“Meat” means the flesh, whether fresh or preserved, of cattle, sheep, swine or goats intended for human consumption.
“Meat product” means food prepared from carcasses or portions of carcasses, and includes canned rabbits.
“Minister” means the Minister of State administering the Department of Trade and Customs.
“Official stamp or mark” means any stamp or mark which, under these Regulations, may be applied by an officer or inspector to meat, meat products, or edible offal, or to the coverings or containers thereof, to indicate that such meat, meat product, or edible offal is fit for human food or unfit for human food or fit for export, or approved or passed for export.
“Preservative” means any added substance other than common salt, sugar, wood smoke, vinegar, pure spices, saltpetre, and nitrate of soda.
“Rams” includes stags.
“Registered brand” means a brand registered under these Regulations.
“Registered establishment” means an establishment registered under these Regulations other than an establishment registered under regulation 18 of these Regulations.
“Rejected” means unsuitable for export but not unsuitable for food.
“Scraps” or “Trimmings” means pieces of meat not conforming to the definition of a “cut”
“Salt beef” means beef that has been pickled or cured in brine and does not include canned meats to which the trade description corned beef is applied.
“Sound” or “Soundness” have relation to freedom from disease as defined in these Regulations and from damage or decay.
Ships’ stores.
Part II.—Registration of Premises and Standard Requirements Therefor.
Division 1.—Registration of Premises.
Registration of establishments.
Applications for registration.
(2) The Comptroller-General shall issue to an approved applicant a certificate of registration in accordance with Form B in the Schedule to these Regulations which shall specify:—
(a) all operations which may be conducted in the establishment to which it refers; and
(b) the conditions and restrictions under which the registration is granted.
(3) A certificate of registration shall expire on the thirty-first day of December in the year in which it is issued, but may on written application, in accordance with Form C in the Schedule to these Regulations, be renewed from time to time.
(4) There shall be paid to the Customs, in respect of each application for registration or renewal, the sum of One guinea.
Documents to accompany application.
(a) the complete plans and specifications of the establishment, in duplicate ;
(b) a full description of the establishment ;
(c) the details of the operations proposed to be carried on in the establishment; and
(d) a clear photograph of the site of the establishment showing its relation to the land or other property adjoining the establishment.
Alterations to registered establishments.
Approval of site.
Leasing of registered establishment.
Number of registered establishment.
Division 2—Standard Requirements for Registered Establishments.
Standard requirements.
Requirements to be fulfilled by existing places.
(a) provides separate location and apparatus for edible and inedible products;
(b) provides for the exclusive use of all inspectors engaged at the establishment at any one time office accommodation and such dressing and lavatory and other sanitary conveniences as the Comptroller-General from time to time thinks necessary;
(c) provides accommodation sufficient for all employees and including—
(i) rooms for dining and adequate seating and table accommodation;
(ii) rooms for dressing with approved accommodation for clean and soiled clothing and personal effects;
(iii) lavatory with adequate wash basins and shower baths;
(iv) privy accommodation as far as possible separate from lavatory.
(d) as far as practicable conforms to the requirements for new establishments prescribed by these Regulations.
Site.
(a) the site of the establishment is such as to admit of the provision of ready and efficient drainage;
(b) the buildings, yards and pens are at least 30 yards distant from any human habitation, public building or manure works and at least 880 yards distant from any noxious trade establishment, knackery, piggery, cemetery, public hospital, depôt for the disposal of night-soil, refuse, other such material; and
(c) the site is of such extent as to allow an interval of at least 20 yards between the main building and the nearest public thoroughfare or right-of-way.
Floor area of compartments and spacing of rails.
(2) In the case of large establishments for the killing and dressing of cattle the floor area of one stand or bed shall be not less than 180 square feet, and the floor area of the hanging room, if provided, shall be not less than 9 square feet for each carcass to be hung.
(3) The hanging rails in the hanging room for cattle shall be not less than 3 feet apart.
(4) In the case of sheep killing and dressing rooms the floor area shall be not less than 60 square feet for each animal being slaughtered or dressed in such rooms.
(5) The hanging rails in the hanging room for sheep, if provided, shall be not less than 15 inches apart.
Chilling, freezing, and cold storage.
(a) contain chilling, freezing or cold storage accommodation commensurate with its killing capacity; or
(b) be located within easy access of some establishment registered for the purposes of chilling, freezing and the cold storage of meats, meat products and edible offal for export.
Establishments to be provided with sufficient refrigerating machinery.
Registration of freezing establishments.
(2) The Comptroller-General shall, if he approves of an application, issue a certificate of registration in accordance with Form B in the Schedule to these Regulations.
(3) A certificate of registration shall expire on the thirty-first day of December in the year in which it is issued but may, on written application, be renewed from time to time.
(4) There shall be paid to the Department in respect of each application for registration or renewal the sum of One guinea.
Chilling and freezing rooms to be used for one class of goods only at one and the same time.
(2) Where carcass meats which have been passed for export are chilled, frozen or stored in compartments containing carcass meats which have not been passed for export, separate locations as directed by the inspector shall be provided for the hanging or stacking of meats passed for export.
Temperatures of cold storage rooms.
(2) Standard thermometers shall be installed in every compartment of a registered establishment under refrigeration.
Notice to be given of failure of refrigerating machinery.
Rooms for treatment of edible fat and offal.
(2) The floor area of the room in which edible fat and other edible offal is treated shall be such area as is approved by the Comptroller-General and shall not in any case be less than 96 square feet.
Construction of buildings. Killing and dressing rooms.
(2) The height of killing and dressing rooms for sheep and pigs from the floor to the ceiling or wall plate shall be not less than 10 feet, and the walls to a height of not less than 4 feet shall be solidly constructed of brick, masonry or concrete or a combination of brick, masonry or concrete and structural steel.
(3) The space between the top of the walls and the ceiling or wall plate shall, if the Comptroller-General so directs, be provided with movable louvres.
(4) Walls constructed of brick, masonry or concrete shall be rendered impervious and washable by means of cement rendering. Internal angles of the killing and dressing rooms and of all offal and fat rooms shall be well rounded out from floors to walls and from walls to walls.
(5) In the case of pig slaughtering establishments the height of the scalding room shall be not less than 16 feet.
(6) The floors of all compartments shall be on a higher level than the surrounding ground and shall be laid in such a manner as to render them absolutely waterproof. Whether constructed of dressed stone pitchers, mineral asphalt or bricks they shall have a firm foundation of concrete and in the case of stone pitchers or bricks the interstices shall be grouted with cement mortar. Frogs of bricks shall not be exposed. All joints shall be as thin as practicable.
(7) In the case of sheep slaughtering houses, provision shall made for the delivery of inedible offal to the sorting rooms by means
of a water carriage or other approved conveyor situated underneath t
This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.