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TRACEABILITY & INTEGRITY MODULE

Version 3.4

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Key – Those standards which have greater significance (all other standards are normal)

Recommendation – Those which do not affect certification

New – A completely new standard which the member must now adhere to

Revised – A standard that has changed and requires the member to take some different or additional action to before

Upgraded – The standard has been upgraded to a Key standard or from a Recommendation to a full standard

Appendix – Referenced in ‘How you will be measured’. Indicates that additional information is provided in the Appendices, which are available at the end of each section.

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Where to find help – at the end of each section we have indicated where you can get extra guidance if you need it.

Aim:

TRACEABILITY & INTEGRITY MODULE

AB.TR.a

Standards

The site must have a fully operational and demonstrably effective traceability system, from supplier through to customer

How you will be measured

  • Traceability system effective from the intake of livestock or raw material to the dispatch/ delivery of finished product
  • All product in the plant can be traced:
    • back to the supplier or a defined production batch
    • forward to despatch and the customer
    • forward or back one-step within 4 hours
  • The system enables any finished product labelled with any claims (in particular Red Tractor) to be validated

AB.TR.a.1

Standards

The site traceability system and procedures must be documented from intake to dispatch

How you will be measured

  • Documentation includes:
    • a flow diagram or a written explanation of the traceability process for all species/ products, including identification of the record points

Flow diagram, traceability risks

AB.TR.b

Standards

A risk assessed schedule of testing the site’s traceability system must be documented and implemented

How you will be measured

  • Tests:
    • are undertaken at least monthly, in accordance with a documented schedule
    • include mass balances (at least once a year) and traces forward to the customer and back to the supplier
    • test all species/ types of product during the course of the year
    • seek to verify that any claims made on the selected product, were done so correctly
  • Results are recorded

Testing schedule, traceability test results

AB.TR.b.1

Standards

Testing of the traceability system must be undertaken by a suitable, competent person

How you will be measured

  • Testing, which includes a mass balance, carried out by a person independent of the process (either somebody in house but independent of the activity or somebody external to the company), wherever possible

AB.TR.b.2

Standards

Where traceability system tests demonstrate failures or weaknesses, the root cause must be determined and corrective actions must be implemented

How you will be measured

  • The root cause is determined and corrective actions put in place:
    • corrective actions include increasing the testing frequency to weekly until there is evidence the issues have been rectified
  • The issue, root cause and corrective action are recorded and reported to relevant senior management

Testing results

AB.TR.c

Standards

The traceability system must include a complete record of movements of livestock on to the site

How you will be measured

  • Recorded in on-site databases/ registers
  • Record includes:
    • arrival date and time
    • the name, address, holding number of the supplier and the country of origin
    • total numbers of livestock and identifiers/ ear numbers
    • date of the movement off the last holding
    • details of the livestock vehicle and name of driver used to deliver the livestock
  • Note: the term holding applies to farms, markets or collection centres

Site movement records/ databases

AB.TR.c.1

Standards

Traceability documentation for all livestock is received and reviewed to ensure it is complete

How you will be measured

  • Relevant documentation is reviewed:
    • for cattle, passport, site entry forms/ animal transport certificates, Food Chain Information
    • for sheep and goats movement licences, Food Chain Information
    • for pigs, the inbound electronic licence eAML2
  • For pigs the inbound electronic licence eAML2 is checked and updated as necessary to reflect the actual number of live pigs delivered
  • All documentation is complete, including dated signatures as required. From the documentation, the site is able to record all details needed for its own on-site movement record
  • The documentation is held for 3 years

Entry forms, AMLs, etc.

AB.TR.c.2

Standards

Incoming livestock must be identified, in accordance with legislation, when they arrive on-site

How you will be measured

  • Checks are made on livestock upon arrival that:
    • cattle have two official ear tags
    • sheep and goats have the correct number and type of tags
    • pigs are slap marked or ear tagged
  • Checks are made to ensure that the livestock identifiers correlate with movement documentation

AB.TR.c.3

Standards

Errors in livestock identification or movement documentation are investigated and acted upon

How you will be measured

  • Where the error could cause a complete breakdown in traceability, the affected livestock are not slaughtered as assured until the error has been resolved (unless authorised by the Official Veterinarian)
  • Where the issue is more minor and overall traceability is not compromised, livestock are slaughtered where permitted by the Official Veterinarian and site procedures

AB.TR.c.4

Standards

There must be correlation between the carcase and the offal, head, etc. removed during the process of evisceration and break down of the carcase, in order for those body parts to be described as assured

How you will be measured

  • The body parts must correlate with the carcase they originate from, or be traceable to a batch of assured livestock

AB.TR.c.5

Standards

Carcases must be clearly labelled so that they can be traced back to source

How you will be measured

  • Carcases are marked/ labelled with:
    • slaughter number unique to the days’ production for each species
    • batch number
    • slap mark
    • kill date
  • If assured, it is labelled as assured

AB.TR.c.6

Standards

The carcase must be traceable, by identification mark prior to dispatch

How you will be measured

  • The site identification mark/ hygiene approval number (EC Code) is applied to the carcase as early as practicably possible, but at least prior to its dispatch

AB.TR.c.7

Standards

Where carcases or product is claimed to be assured, systems must be in place to verify the assurance requirements behind the claim

How you will be measured

  • Verification made prior to carcases being broken down or before the carcase has left the site
  • The following is verified for all livestock to be described as assured:
    • the holding the livestock have come from (or herd/ flock number in Northern Ireland)
    • the residency period of the livestock on that holding, and where applicable the assurance status of previous holdings, if the residency period is split between holdings
    • the vehicle the livestock were delivered on
    • any markets or collection centres the livestock have passed through within the residency period
  • The permitted methods of verification (outlined in the relevant Appendix) are used

AB.TR.c.8

Standards

Where carcase or product is assured, all key process and delivery paperwork must clearly identify the assured status of the carcase or product

Process and delivery paperwork

AB.TR.d

Standards

The traceability system must include a complete record of all movements of poultry, on to the site

How you will be measured

  • Recorded in on-site databases/ registers
  • Record includes:
    • date and time of departure from the holding
    • arrival date and time at the abattoir
    • the production site name, address, holding number and contact
    • house number
    • number of birds
    • site assurance membership number
    • details of the livestock vehicle and name of the driver used to deliver the birds

Movement documentation

AB.TR.d.1

Standards

Traceability documentation received is reviewed to ensure it is complete

How you will be measured

  • A completed Animal Transport Certificate and Food Chain Information is received for each flock of birds
  • All documentation is complete, including dated signatures as required. From the documentation, the site is able to record all details needed for its own on-site movement record
  • The documentation is held for 12 months

AB.TR.d.2

Standards

Errors in movement documentation are investigated and acted upon

AB.TR.d.3

Standards

Flocks are slaughtered in a batch system, with clear segregation between assured and non-assured flocks, carcases and offal

AB.TR.d.4

Standards

Where product is claimed to be assured, systems must be in place to verify the claim

How you will be measured

  • Verification, using the Red Tractor checker or equivalent system made prior to birds being slaughtered
  • The following is verified for all flocks, in order for their products to be described as assured:
    • the assurance status of the holding the birds have come from
    • the assurance status of the catching team
    • the assurance status of the vehicle the birds were delivered on

AB.TR.d.5

Standards

Where product is assured, all key process and delivery paperwork must clearly identify the assured status of the carcase or product