Edible co-products and animal by-products guidance

Three regulations came into force on 1 January 2006 that deal with the hygienic production of meat.

These are:

• Regulation 852/2004 (or 'H1') which sets out the hygiene requirements for food production generally
• Regulation 853/2004 (or 'H2) which sets out the specific hygiene requirements for production of products of animal origin
• Regulation 854/2004 (or 'H3') which sets out the official control requirements for products of animal origin for enforcement authorities

Parts of an animal that are not intended for human consumption are called animal by-products..

Some parts of animals that are unsuitable for human consumption when they are produced at the slaughterhouse, but which can later be processed for use in human food, e.g. hides and skins processed into gelatine and collagen, sheep intestines processed into sausage casings, and stomach (omental) fat processed into lard, are called edible co-products.

The document below is in pdf format. It has been bookmarked to make it easier for you to click on the chapters that are most relevant to you.

• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - Rendered Animal Fat and Greaves
• Chapter 2 - Treated Stomachs, Bladders and Intestines
• Chapter 3 - Gelatine
• Chapter 4 - Collagen
• Chapter 5 - Animal By-Products

Food Business Operators in NI should also read the following in addendum in conjunction with the Edible co-products guidance.