Applying for approval of a meat establishment

Slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments must be approved by us in England, Wales and Northern Ireland before they can operate.

Wholesale meat establishment

You can either apply for approval of a meat plant online or download the application form.

When we receive your application one of our veterinary officials will contact you within two weeks to arrange a visit to conduct an assessment.

Scotland

See Food Standards Scotland (FSS) for further guidance.

Approval assessment

The equipment and structure of your establishment will be assessed, as well as your food safety management system, as part of the approval process.

You are not permitted to operate until a conditional approval has been granted.

After approval, one of our veterinary officials will return within three months to assess production and your compliance with all the hygiene requirements in Regulation 852/2004 and Regulation 853/2004.

Right of appeal

You have a right to appeal our decision if your premises are refused approval under Regulation 12 of the Official Feed and Food Controls Regulations 2009.

You can lodge an appeal one month from the date when you were notified of the decision.

Operational policy

The Operational policy explains the application and decision making process involved in giving approval to your businesses. It also explains the circumstances in which we would remove your approval.

This document is for food business operators of existing  approved food businesses and potential:

• slaughterhouses
• cutting plants
• game handling establishments
• wholesale markets