Audits have found that Bulgarian meat management systems have a limited lack of issues recorded during control and limited enforcement.
An audit by DG Sante took place in May and June 2024 to evaluate the control system for slaughter hygiene and meat inspection. Six recommendations have been made recently.
The official control system for the production of lean meat and chicken contains almost every element of EU law. However, DG Sante has a low level of non-compliance detection and record, which means limited enforcement action when issues are found, lack of documented procedures or staff instructions and official tasks to carry out checks. He said the effectiveness is extremely at risk due to the lack of It will be executed in accordance with EU rules.
During the slaughterhouse visit, the audit team found that formal controls were ineffective and inconsistent in how they were implemented.
Formal slaughterhouse management, there are no instructions regarding prospective testing (AMI), animal welfare management, or verification of the food business’s self-control system. Postmortem Testing Instructions (PMIs) have not been updated to include the latest changes to EU law. The audit team noted that the official veterinarian checklist has not been updated since 2014 and is not frequently used during examinations.
Auditors found that they lack sufficient knowledge of the specific legal requirements for performing their duties properly, particularly in PMI, Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, and animal protection during genocide. I did.
Stopping operation
A serious problem with sanitation and maintenance conditions was observed at one slaughterhouse. Official veterinarians and local inspectors said that although several issues have been detected in the past, they have not been recorded in the report due to verbal requests to fix the issue. However, the situation remained unchanged as the company did not resolve the non-violation and the OV did not take enforcement action.
Auditors will be entitled to further treat floors, walls, wall ceilings, and materials, damaged equipment in some parts of the site, dirty chillers on surfaces that cannot be properly cleaned or sanitized, floors and exteriors It has pointed out that some parts of the plant caused damage to the area for gaps between the doors that do not allow proper pest control and poor hygiene standards.
At the facility, the company refused to allow access to three locked, cold rooms, with access to the audit team and authorities. After breaking the lock in one of these rooms, about 10 tons of frozen meat products were stored in a way that is not suitable for human consumption. The meat was destroyed and the activity on the plants was temporarily suspended.
At the slaughterhouses visited, official sampling did not reveal results for non-compliant microorganisms. Salmonella and Campylobacter plus were not detected in their own check controls at poultry slaughterhouses for the past three years.
In response to the findings of the audit report, the Food Safety Bureau of Bulgaria has established a working group to develop a draft manual for the performance of official controls of slaughterhouses.
Online training was planned for all official veterinarians and service staff at the slaughterhouse, with practical on-site training in pre- and post-mortem testing.
The agency is also developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to verify the validity of company self-monitoring plans and formal food-related management.
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