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Slaughter-houses and Meat Processing Factories Ordinance

Bill No. 40/1964

Read the first time on 19th November 1964.

An Ordinance to provide for the control and licensing of slaughter-houses and meat processing factories and matters incidental thereto, and to repeal Part V of the Local Government Integration Ordinance, 1963 (No. 18 of 1963).

Be it enacted by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore, as follows: —

Short title and commencement

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Slaughter-houses and Meat Processing Factories Ordinance, 1964, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2. In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Director” has the same meaning as is assigned to it in the Animals Ordinance, 1964 (Ord. of 1964);

“meat” means the edible part of any animal or bird used as food for human beings, including bones, offals, sausages and other meat preparations of cattle, sheep, goats, swine, boars, birds, rabbits whether fresh, chilled, frozen, pickled, salted, smoked, dried, cooked or canned;

“meat processing factory” means a place where meat is processed or is used in the production of any manufactured meat product or is so processed and used;

“veterinary authority” means the Director, the Assistant Director of Primary Production (Veterinary) and includes any person appointed in writing by the Director to be a veterinary authority under the provisions of section 3 of this Ordinance;

“processing” means the canning, cooking, curing, smoking, dehydrating, chilling, freezing or otherwise preparing food for commercial purposes.

Appointment of veterinary authority

3. The Director may, with the approval of the Minister, appoint any public officer, employed in the administration of this Ordinance, to be a veterinary authority who, subject to such limitations, as may be prescribed by the Director, may perform all duties imposed and exercise all powers conferred on the Director and the veterinary authority by this Ordinance.

Director may license slaughter-houses

4.—(1) The Director may, after consultation with the Director of Medical Services, license any place as a slaughter-house. Such licence shall be subject to such conditions as may be prescribed and such other conditions that the Director may, in his discretion, impose. The Director may, in his discretion, at any time revoke or suspend such licence.

(2) No place shall be used as a slaughter-house without a licence issued by the Director.

(3) Any person who slaughters any animal or allows any animal to be slaughtered in any slaughter-house without a valid licence, issued by the Director, shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars and to a further fine not exceeding fifty dollars for every day during which such default continues.

Power to provide slaughter-houses

5. The Director may, if he thinks fit, provide places which may be used as Government slaughter-houses.

Prohibition of slaughtering elsewhere than at Government or licensed slaughter-houses

6.—(1) No animal intended to be used as human food shall be slaughtered at any place other than at a licensed slaughter-house or at one of the slaughter-houses provided by the Director and no person shall bring into Singapore or have in his possession or sell or expose for sale any meat of such animal, unless such animal has been slaughtered at a licensed slaughter-house or at one of the Government slaughter-houses.

(2) Any person who slaughters any animal or brings into Singapore or has in his possession or sells or exposes for sale any meat in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(3) The occupier of any premises in which any animal is slaughtered in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have slaughtered such animal, until it is proved that it was slaughtered without his knowledge and consent.

(4) Any veterinary authority may at any time enter into, inspect and search any premises in which he has reason to suspect that any animal is being or has been recently slaughtered in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section.

(5) When provision has been made for the marking of the carcases of animals slaughtered in Government slaughter-houses to denote that such animals have been so slaughtered, any carcase or part of a carcase which does not bear such slaughter-house mark shall be presumed, until the contrary is proved, to have been slaughtered in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section.

(6) In any case where any veterinary authority has reasonable cause to believe that an offence has been committed under the provisions of this section or of section 8 of this Ordinance, such veterinary authority may seize the meat in respect of which such offence is believed to have been committed and may sell or otherwise dispose of it as the Director may think fit and the proceeds of sale, if any, shall be disposed of in such manner as a Magistrate’s Court may direct.

(7) A document purporting to be a certificate under the hand of the Director to the effect that the animal, the meat of which has been seized pursuant to the provisions of subsection (6) of this section, has not been slaughtered at a Government slaughter-house or a licensed slaughter-house shall be conclusive evidence of such fact.

(8) In this section “meat” includes the meat of animals slaughtered outside Singapore which is brought into Singapore in a frozen or chilled condition without a licence issued by the appropriate veterinary authority.

Power to refuse slaughter

7. The Director may refuse to allow the slaughter, at a slaughter-house provided by him, of any animal or the dressing of any carcase which is diseased or, by reason of emaciation, is in the opinion of a veterinary authority unfit for human consumption.

Offences as to marks and penalties

8. Any person who —

(a)	marks the carcase or part of the carcase of any animal which has not been slaughtered at a Government slaughter-house with any mark with the intention of causing it to be believed that such animal was slaughtered at such slaughter-house; or
(b)	makes or has in his possession any dye, plate or other instrument for the purpose of the same being used or knowing or having reason to believe that it is intended to be used for the purpose of counterfeiting a Government slaughter-house mark; or
(c)	sells or exposes for sale or has in his possession for sale the carcase or part of the carcase of any animal bearing a mark intended to represent a Government slaughter-house mark or so marked as to cause it to be believed that such animal was so slaughtered, but which has not been slaughtered at a Government slaughter-house, unless he proves that he did not knowingly so sell or expose or have in his possession such carcase or part of a carcase,

shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or to both such imprisonment and fine.

Special licence to slaughter elsewhere

9.—(1) The Director may, upon the written application of any house-holder, issue a special licence to such house-holder to slaughter an animal for domestic, ceremonial or sacrificial purpose elsewhere than at a licensed slaughter-house or a Government slaughter-house.

(2) Every such special licence shall specify the time and place where such animal may be slaughtered and shall be issued subject to such conditions as may be prescribed and such other conditions as the Director may, in his discretion, impose.

Special licence where animal cannot be taken to slaughter-house

10.—(1) The Director, if he is satisfied that —

(a)	any animal cannot be led, driven or transported to a licensed slaughter-house or Government slaughter-house without danger to the public or to the person in charge of it or to itself; or
(b)	any animal has been so injured as to be incapable of being led, driven or transported to a government slaughter-house,

may issue a special licence to the person in charge of such animal to slaughter such animal elsewhere than at a licensed slaughter-house or Government slaughter-house.

(2) Before granting such special licence, the Director may require the animal to be examined at the expense of the person applying for the licence by some person nominated by the Director.

(3) Every such special licence shall specify the time and place where such animal may be slaughtered and shall be subject to such conditions as may be prescribed and such other conditions as the Director may, in his discretion, impose.

Licence for meat processing factory

11.—(1) The Director may, after consultation with the Director of Medical Services, license any place as a meat processing factory. Such licence shall be subject to such conditions as may be prescribed and such other conditions as the Director may, in his discretion, impose. The Director may, in his discretion, at any time revoke or suspend the licence.

(2) No person shall operate a meat processing factory without a licence issued by the Director.

(3) No person shall establish a meat processing factory or construct premises for use as a meat processing factory without the prior written approval of the Director.

(4) Any person who operates a meat processing factory in contravention of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(5) Any person who establishes a meat processing factory or constructs premises for use as a meat processing factory in contravention of the provisions of subsection (2) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or to both such imprisonment and fine.

Power to close meat processing factory

12.—(1) Where the Director finds that any condition in a meat processing factory is or may become dangerous to health or may hinder in any manner the suppression of disease, he may give written directions requiring that the meat processing factory be closed for such time as the Director may determine.

(2) The Director shall, as soon as possible after he has given written directions under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, inform the operator of the meat processing factory of the reasons as to why such written directions were given.

(3) Any person who fails to comply with the written directions, given under the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, shall be guilty of an offence under this Ordinance and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars or to both such imprisonment and fine.

Powers of veterinary authority

13.—(1) A veterinary authority may at any time enter and examine any land, building or premises for the purpose of ascertaining whether such land, building or premises is being used as a meat processing factory.

(2) A veterinary authority may at any time enter any meat processing factory for the purpose of ascertaining whether any offence against this Ordinance or any rules made thereunder has been or is being committed.

(3) A veterinary authority may take or cause to be taken samples of meat, manufactured meat product or any ingredient used in the manufacture thereof to determine whether the same is likely to cause illness or disease or is fit for human consumption.

(4) A veterinary authority may seize any meat, manufactured meat product or ingredient used in the manufacture thereof which, in his opinion, as the result of examination of samples under the provisions of subsection (3) of this section, is likely to cause illness or disease or is unfit for human consumption. Such meat, manufactured meat product or ingredient shall be destroyed in such manner as the Director may determine.

(5) No compensation shall be payable in respect of any meat, manufactured meat product or ingredient used in the manufacture thereof which has been destroyed under the provisions of subsection (4) of this section.

Rules

14.—(1) The Minister may make rules for or in respect of any purpose which is deemed by him necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Ordinance, for the prescribing of any matter which is authorised or required under this Ordinance to be prescribed.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Minister may by such rules provide for —

(a)	the maintenance and management of slaughter-houses provided by the Government or otherwise;
(b)	the regulation of meat processing factories, including the location, construction, lighting, drainage, slaughter of animals, preparing, processing, packing and transport of meat and meat products and such records as may be required to be kept;
(c)	the manner in which samples shall be taken and the method of analysis of such samples;
(d)	the forms for licences and for other purposes for use in connection with this Ordinance;
(e)	the prescribing of fees and charges for the purposes of this Ordinance.

(3) Such rules may —

(a)	prescribe that any act or omission in contravention of the provisions of any rule shall be an offence;
(b)	provide for the imposition of penalties, which shall not exceed imprisonment for a term of one year or a fine of one thousand dollars or both such imprisonment and fine; and
(c)	provide that in addition to such imprisonment and fine, the penalty may extend to the cancellation or suspension of a licence.

(4) The Minister may, in lieu of making any rules prescribing forms which by this Ordinance are required to be or may be prescribed, authorise the Director to prescribe such forms as he thinks fit.

(5) All such rules shall be published in the Gazette and shall be presented to the Legislative Assembly as soon as may be after publication.

Repeal

15. Part V of the Local Government Integration Ordinance, 1963 (Ord. 18 of 1963), is hereby repealed.