Home slaughter of livestock: A guide to the law in England and Wales - Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies regulations

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies regulations

The Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) regulations apply wherever a TSE susceptible animal is slaughtered. This includes home slaughter.

TSEs are a group of fatal degenerative brain diseases that affect both animals and humans. They are caused by prions which are abnormal forms of proteins that can trigger disease. In cattle, the TSE is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or 'mad cow disease', and in sheep and goats, it is referred to as scrapie. Specified Risk Material (SRM) refers to the parts of cattle, sheep, and goats most likely to carry infectivity if the animal is infected with a TSE. It is essential that SRM is removed from both the human and animal food chains and destroyed to protect public and animal health.

After slaughter of cattle, sheep or goats, SRM must be removed, stained and disposed of in accordance with both Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001 (hereinafter referred to as TSE Regulation) and Regulation (EC) No.1069/2009 on animal by-products (hereinafter referred to as ABP Regulation). 

A full list of SRM together with the staining requirements is in Annex C. 

In addition to removing SRM, the following cattle must still test negative for BSE prior to consumption of the meat: 

• Healthy cattle aged over 30 months slaughtered for human consumption which were born in Romania, Bulgaria and all non-EU countries.
• Emergency slaughter cattle aged over 48 months (i.e. an otherwise healthy animal that has suffered an accident/injury that prevented its transport to the slaughterhouse). 
• Cattle of all ages, showing signs of BSE. These cattle must also be reported, as BSE is a notifiable disease.

If the animal to be slaughtered requires BSE testing, you should contact an approved BSE sampling site to make the arrangements for testing. GOV.UK provides details of approved BSE sampling sites from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Meat from the animal should only be consumed if the BSE test is negative. If the test is positive, the carcass and all parts of the body must be disposed of as category 1 ABP (SRM). Contacts to advise on BSE testing and the disposal of ABPs are listed in Annex A.

The domestic TSE regulations allow LAs to appoint inspectors to enforce the legislation and provide powers for inspectors to enter premises, seize any carcass or part of the carcass and dispose of it as necessary.  ^{(footnote 1)} Alternatively, an inspector may serve a notice on the owner requiring disposal.