Animal By-Products

Animal by-products are defined as 'entire bodies or parts of animals, or products of animal origin, not intended for human consumption.'

Legislation

Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 lays down the health rules concerning animal by-products. The European Communities (Animal By-Products) Regulations, 2003 transposes the regulation into Irish law.

The purpose of this regulation is to clarify and strengthen the rules governing the animal by-products that may be used as part of the feed for farmed and pet animals. The regulation divides animal by-products into three categories, as outlined below.

Category 1 (C1) material includes:

• BSE suspects.
• Animals slaughtered in the context of the TSE eradication measures.
• SRM material, including dead, ruminant animals containing it.
• Parts of animals that have been administered certain prohibited substances under Directive 96/22/EC and Directive 96/23/EC.
• All animal material collected when treating waste water.
• Floor waste in an abattoir adjacent to where SRM is generated.
• Pet, zoo and circus animals.
• Experimental animals.
• Catering waste from international means of transport.

Category 2 (C2) material includes:

• Manure and digestive tract content (which may be spread untreated on land if it poses no disease risk).
• Animal material collected when treating waste water from Category 2 and 3 processing plants and abattoirs.
• Non-ruminants that die in circumstances other than being slaughtered for human consumption (for example, dead on arrival pigs and poultry).
• Products from animals that exceed permitted residue levels under Group B(1) and (2) of Annex I to Directive 96/23/EEC (for example, therapeutic drugs).

Category 3 (C3) material includes:

• Parts of slaughtered animals that have passed both the ante and post-mortem inspection, and are fit for human consumption.
• Parts of slaughtered animals that have passed the ante and post-mortem inspection and are not fit for human consumption, but do not contain any signs of disease communicable to man or animals.
• Hides and skins, hooves, pig bristles and feathers that derive from animals that have passed the ante-mortem only.
• Ruminant blood, which must derive from animals that have passed both the ante-mortem and post-mortem.
• Animal by-products that have derived from the production of products intended for human consumption.
• Former foodstuffs of animal origin (other than catering waste) that are no longer intended for human consumption for commercial reasons, or due to problems such as manufacturing or packaging defects that do not present any risk to humans or animals.