Wholesome Meat and Fish (Transportation of Meat Products) Rules 1999

No. S 557

Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 1999

(Act 5 of 1999)

Wholesome Meat and Fish (Transportation
of Meat Products) Rules 1999

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 41 of the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 1999, the Minister for National Development hereby makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1. These Rules may be cited as the Wholesome Meat and Fish (Transportation of Meat Products) Rules 1999 and shall come into operation on 10th December 1999.

Definitions

2. In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires —

“designated place” means —

(a)	any conveyance on which any meat product is imported or is to be exported;
(b)	any slaughter-house;
(c)	any cold store;
(d)	any processing establishment;
(e)	any wholesale market; or
(f)	any place to which, pursuant to the direction of the Director or a veterinary public health officer, any meat product is to be taken for the purpose of examination by an authorised examiner or for any other purpose;

“transport container” means a container which is in or on, or forms part of, a vehicle and which is manufactured, adapted or used for the carriage of any meat product and includes a reefer container.

Application

3. These Rules shall apply in relation to every occasion on which any meat product is being transported to or from a designated place except when such meat product is being transported by a consumer for his own consumption.

Transportation of meat products

4.—(1) No person shall transport any meat product to or from a designated place unless the transport container in which it is to be transported —

(a)

is constructed of material that is free of any noxious constituent;

(b)

has inside surfaces (including the surfaces of any rack or receptacle provided in the transport container) that are smooth, resistant to corrosion and impervious to moisture;

(c)

is capable of protecting the meat product and any container thereof against contamination;

(d)

is clean, in a sanitary condition and in good repair;

(e)

is equipped, where applicable, to maintain the meat product in a chilled or frozen state; and

(f)

is not being used and has not been used —

(i)	for the transportation of any other material or substance that might adulterate or contaminate the meat product or otherwise cause the meat product to be unfit for human consumption; or
(ii)	for any other purpose which would render it unsuitable for use in the transportation of meat products.

(2) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(e) —

(a)

where any meat product that is being transported requires to be chilled in order to preserve its wholesomeness, the transport container in which the meat product is to be transported must be so equipped as to be capable of maintaining the meat product at a temperature of 4° C or below and with a core temperature not exceeding 7° C during transportation;

(b)

where any meat product that is being transported requires to be frozen in order to preserve its wholesomeness, the transport container in which the meat product is to be transported must be so equipped as to be capable of maintaining the meat product at a temperature of –18° C or below and with a core temperature not exceeding –12° C during transportation; and

(c)

any transport container that is used or intended to be used for transporting any meat product which requires to be chilled or frozen shall —

(i)	in the case of a refrigerated vehicle, be fitted with recording thermometers of a type approved by the Director;
(ii)	be adequately insulated to prevent the temperature within the transport container from being affected by the temperature outside it; and
(iii)	be so maintained as to prevent condensation or the formation or accumulation of frost or ice.

(3) Any person transporting any meat product to or from a designated place shall ensure that —

(a)	the meat product is at all times during transportation placed in a carton or an enclosed container; and
(b)	the transport container in which the meat product is to be transported is loaded in such a manner as to permit adequate circulation of cold air within the transport container.

(4) Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with any of the requirements of this rule shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

Inspection of transport containers, etc.

5.—(1) The Director or a veterinary public health officer may, for the purpose of enforcing these Rules, do all or any of the following:

(a)	stop any vehicle which he knows or has reason to believe is being used to transport any meat product and inspect any transport container that is in or on, or that forms part of, such vehicle;
(b)	direct the owner or person in charge of such vehicle to take the transport container or the vehicle (as the case requires) to such place as the Director or veterinary public health officer may specify in order that a proper inspection of the transport container may be carried out thereat;
(c)	take (without payment) reasonable samples of any meat product as may be found in the transport container and subject such samples to such examination as the Director or veterinary public health officer thinks fit in order to ascertain whether the meat product has become contaminated, adulterated or otherwise unfit for human consumption as a result of any contravention or failure to comply with these Rules;
(d)	take such measures or give such directions as are reasonable and necessary to prevent the sale, distribution or disposition of any meat product from which any sample has been taken under sub-paragraph (c) pending the outcome of the examination of such sample.

(2) Where any person to whom a direction is given under paragraph (1)(b) or (d) fails to comply with that direction —

(a)	that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000; and
(b)	the Director or veterinary public health officer may cause such action to be taken as is required by the direction and may recover any costs and expenses reasonably incurred by him from that person.

Offences to be compoundable

6. All offences under these Rules may be compounded in accordance with section 39 of the Act.

Made this 6th day of December 1999.

LAM CHUAN LEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of National Development,
Singapore.

[ND 202/1-72 Vol. 6; AG/LEG/SL/349A/99/1 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 41(4) of the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 1999).

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