|
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES |
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT |
S.I. No. 33 of 2004 |
THE FOOD ACT |
(Chapter 236) |
THE FOOD (SEAFOOD PROCESSING AND |
INSPECTION) (AMENDMENT)
REGULATIONS, 2004 |
The Minister, in exercise of the
powers conferred by section 11 of the Food Act, makes the following regulations
- |
1. These Regulations which amend
the Food (Seafood Processing and Inspection) Regulations, may be cited as the
Food (Seafood Processing and Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations, 2004. | Citation. S.I. 87 of 2002. |
2. Regulation 2 of the principal
Regulations is amended by the insertion in the appropriate alphabetical order
of the following definition - | Amends regulation 2 of the principal
Regulations. |
“commercial fishing vessel” means a vessel which
has been granted a permit under section 11(1) of the Fisheries Resources
(Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act;”. | Ch. 244. |
3. Regulation 3 of the principal
Regulations is revoked and replaced as follows - | Revokes and replaces regulation 3 of
the principal Regulations. |
“3(1) Subject to paragraph (2), these
regulations apply to - |
(a) seafood intended for export and
domestic wholesale trade; |
(b) seafood holding stations; |
(c) seafood processing plants; |
(d) seafood export plants; |
(e) commercial fishing
vessels; and |
|
(2)These Regulations do not apply to
quantities of one hundred pounds (45.4 kilograms) or less of seafood that is
imported for personal consumption or use.”. |
4. The principal Regulations are
amended by the insertion of the following as Regulation 17A - | Amends the principal Regulations. |
“Requirements for commercial
fishing vessels. |
17A. In the case of a commercial fishing
vessel, the following conditions apply - |
| | (a) the commercial fishing vessels
must meet the requirements of Schedule 1A; |
| | (b) the seafood handling
requirements of Schedule 2 and Schedule 5 must be met”. |
5. Paragraph (1) of regulation
22 of the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted
therefor - | Amends regulation 22 of the
principal Regulations. |
“(1) No person shall harvest, unload,
handle, hold or transport seafood intended for processing unless the
harvesting, unloading, handling, holding or transporting meets the requirements
of Schedule 1A, Schedule 2 and Schedule 5.”. |
6. Section 1(12)(b) of Schedule
1 of the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted
therefor - | Amends Schedule 1 of the principal
Regulations. |
“(b) are equipped with an accurate
indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring device, and a temperature
recording device so installed as to accurately show the temperature within the
compartment and should be fitted with an automatic control to regulate
temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a significant
temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available for
inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the room is
in use.”. |
7. The principal Regulations are
amended by the insertion immediately following Schedule 1 of the following as
Schedule 1A - | Insertion of new Schedule 1A into
the principal Regulations. |
“Schedule 1A |
Commercial Fishing Vessel Requirements |
1. The general hygiene
conditions applicable to seafood products on board commercial fishing vessels
are as follows - |
(1)The sections of vessels or the
containers reserved for the storage of seafood products must not contain
objects or products liable to transmit harmful properties or abnormal
characteristics to the foodstuffs. These sections or containers must be so
designed as to allow them to be cleaned easily and to ensure that melted water
cannot remain in contact with the seafood products. |
(2)When used, the sections of
vessels or the containers reserved for the storage of seafood products must be
completely clean and, in particular must not be capable of being contaminated
by the fuel used for the propulsion of the vessel or by bilge water. |
(3)As soon as the seafood is taken
on board, the seafood must be protected from contamination and from the effects
of the sun or any other source of heat. When the seafood is washed the water
used must be either fresh potable water, or clean seawater, so as not to impair
the quality of the seafood. |
(4)The seafood must be handled and
stored in such a way as to prevent bruising. The use of spiked instruments
shall be tolerated for the moving of large fish or fish which might injure the
handler, provided the flesh of the fish is not damaged. |
(5)Seafood other than those kept
alive must undergo cold treatment as soon as possible after loading. However,
in the case of fishing vessels where cooling is not possible, the fish must not
be kept on board for more than eight hours. |
(6)Ice used for the chilling of the
seafood product must be made from potable water or clean seawater. Before use,
it must be stored under conditions that prevent its contamination. |
(7)After the seafood has been
unloaded, the container, equipment and sections of vessels which are directly
in contact with the seafood products must be cleaned with potable water or clean
seawater. |
(8)Where fish is headed and/or
gutted on board, such operations must be carried out hygienically and the
products must be washed immediately and thoroughly with fresh potable water or
clean seawater. The viscera and parts which may pose a threat to public health
must be removed and set apart from products intended for human consumption.
Livers and roes intended for human consumption must be refrigerated or frozen. |
(9)Equipment used for gutting,
heading and the removal of fins, and containers and equipment in contact with
the fishery products, must be made of or coated with a material which is
water-proof, resistant to decay, smooth and easy to clean and disinfect. This
equipment, when used must be completely clean. |
(10)Staff assigned to the handling of
fishery products shall be required to maintain a high standard of cleanliness. |
2. Additional hygiene conditions
applicable to commercial fishing vessels are - |
(1)Fishing vessels which refrigerate
or freeze seafood products must be quipped with holds, tanks or containers for
the storage of refrigerated |
or frozen seafood products at the appropriate
temperature. These holds shall be separated from the machinery space and the
quarters reserved for the crew by partitions that are sufficiently impervious
to prevent any contamination of the stored seafood products. |
(2)The inside surface of the holds,
tanks or containers shall be water-proof and easy to wash and disinfect. It
shall consist of a smooth material or, failing that, smooth paint maintained in
good condition, not being capable of transmitting to the seafood products,
substances harmful to human health. |
(3)The holds shall be designed to
ensure that melted water cannot remain in contact with the seafood products. |
(4)Containers used for storage of
seafood products must ensure their preservation under satisfactory conditions
of hygiene and, in particular, allow drainage of melted water. These
containers, when used must be completely clean. |
(5)The working decks, the equipment
and the holds, tanks and containers shall be cleaned after each use. Potable
water or clean seawater shall be used for this purpose. Disinfection, the
removal of insects or rat extermination shall be carried out whenever
necessary. |
(6)Cleaning products, disinfectants,
insecticides and all potentially toxic substances shall be stored in locked
premises or cupboards. Their use must not present any risk of contamination of
the seafood product. |
(7)If seafood products are frozen on
board, the vessel must meet the requirements of section 2 of Schedule I. When
freezing in brine is used. the brine shall not be a source of contamination for
the seafood product. |
(8)Vessels equipped for chilling of
fishery products in cooled seawater. either chilled by ice or refrigerated by
mechanical means, shall comply with the following requirements: |
(i) tanks must be equipped with
adequate seawater filling and drainage installations and must incorporate
devices for achieving uniform temperature throughout the tanks; |
(ii) tanks must have a means for
recording temperature connected to a temperature sensor positioned in the
section of the tank where temperatures are highest; |
(iii) the operation of the tank or
container system must secure a chilling rate which ensures the mix of fish and
seawater reaches 3 °C in a maximum of six hours after loading and 0 °C in a
maximum of sixteen hours after loading; |
(iv) after each unloading, the tanks,
circulation systems and containers must be completely emptied and thoroughly
cleaned using potable water or clean seawater. They should only be filled with
clean seawater; |
(v) the date and the number of the
tank must be clearly indicated on the temperature recordings which must be kept
available for review by authorized officers. |
(9)The Minister or an authorized
officer shall keep up to date for control purposes a list of the vessels
equipped in accordance with points 7 or 8, with the exception however of
vessels equipped with removable containers and which are not engaged regularly
in preserving fish in chilled seawater. |
(10)Vessel owners or their
representatives shall take all the measures necessary to prevent persons liable
to contaminate fishery products from handling them, until there is evidence
that such persons can do so without risk.". |
8. Section 3(5) of Schedule 3 of
the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted therefor - | Amends Schedule 3 of the principal
Regulations. |
“(5) all refrigerated rooms must be
equipped with an accurate indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring
device, and a temperature recording device so installed as to accurately show
the temperature within the compartment and should be fitted with an automatic
control to regulate temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a
significant temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available
for inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the
room is in use.”. |
9. Section 5(4) of Schedule 4 of
the principal Regulations is deleted and the following substituted therefor - | Amends Schedule 4 of the principal
Regulations. |
“(4) all refrigerated rooms must be
equipped with an accurate indicating thermometer or a temperature measuring
device, and a temperature recording device so installed as to accurately show
the temperature within the compartment and should be fitted with an automatic
control to regulate temperature or with an automatic alarm system to indicate a
significant temperature change in a manual operation. Charts must be available
for inspection by an authorized officer at least during the period when the
room is in use.”. |
10. Schedule 13 of the principal
Regulations is amended by the deletion of the items following the heading
"Maximum Tolerance Levels for Toxic Elements in Seafood Products" and
the substitution therefor of the following - | Amends Schedule 13 of the principal
Regulation. |
“ |
|
Product
|
Lead
(Pb)
|
Cadmium
(Cd)
|
Mercury
|
|
1. Fish
|
0.2
|
0.05
|
|
|
2. Crustaceaans
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
|
|
3. Bivalve Molluscs
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
|
4. Fishery Products, except those listed at
(5) below
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
5. Anglerfish (lophlus spp.) Atlantic catfish
(Anarhichas lupus), bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), blue ling (Molva dipterygia),
bonito (Sarda spp.) eel (Anguilla spp.), halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
little tuna (Euthynnus spp.) Marlin (Makaira spp.) pike (Esox lucius), plain
bonito (Orcynopsis unicolor), Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnes coelolepis),
rays (Raja sp.), redfish (Sebastes marinus, S. mentella, S. viviparous), sail
fish (Istiophorus platypterus), scabbard fish (Lepidopus caudatus, Aphanopus carbo),
shark (all species), snake mackerel (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Ruvettus pretiosus,
Gempylus serpens), sturgeon (Acipenser spp.), swordfish (Xiphias gladius,
tuna Thunnus spp.)
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
” |
Made this 22nd day of May, 2004. |
Signed |
V. ALFRED GRAY |
Minister Responsible for the Manufacture, Processing
and |
Preserving of Food |