• Post mortem inspections of
domesticated food animals, other than poultry, must comply with federal procedures under
9 CFR 310. Procedures for farm-raised deer are the same as for sheep.
• Post mortem inspections of
poultry and
captive game birds must comply with
9 CFR 381.
• Post mortem inspections of
captive game animals must comply with
9 CFR 310. Post mortem inspection procedures for bison are the same as for cattle. DATCP may specify inspection procedures for other captive game animals, as appropriate.
Slaughter Inspection Marks
A DATCP inspector must apply or supervise the application of an official inspection mark to each part of a carcass that the inspector finds, upon slaughter inspection, to be wholesome and fit for human food.
• For
domesticated food animals (other than farm-raised deer) and for ratites (ostriches and emus), the mark consists of an outline map of Wisconsin enclosing the words “WIS. INSPECTED AND PASSED," the inspector number and the meat establishment license number.
• For farm-raised deer, captive game animals and captive game birds, the mark consists of an equilateral triangle containing the meat establishment license number.
If a DATCP inspector finds that any part of a carcass is unwholesome or unfit for human food, the inspector must mark that part “WIS. INSPECTED AND CONDEMNED." An inspector may also mark a suspect carcass “RETAINED" pending further inspection.
Slaughter and Processing Standards; General
This rule incorporates federal slaughter and processing standards by reference, and repeals state standards that are obsolete or duplicative. This rule keeps Wisconsin's program consistent with the federal program, as required by federal law and s.
97.42 (4m), Stats. Federal standards include HACCP and pathogen testing requirements.
Under this rule, slaughtering and processing operations (other than mobile custom slaughter or mobile custom processing operations) must comply with the following standards:
• Persons slaughtering or processing
domesticated food animals, other than poultry, must comply with applicable federal standards under
9 CFR 307 to
311,
313 to
315,
317,
319,
416 and
417.
• Persons slaughtering or processing
poultry or
captive game birds must comply with applicable federal standards under
9 CFR 381 subparts G, H, I, J, K, L, O and P, and
9 CFR 416 and
417. There is an exception for farmers who slaughter and process not more than 1,000 of their own poultry annually, if the processed poultry are labeled “NOT INSPECTED."
• Persons slaughtering or processing
ratites (ostriches or emus) must comply with applicable federal standards under
9 CFR 307 to
311,
313 to
315,
317,
319,
416 and
417.
• Persons slaughtering or processing captive game animals must do so in a humane and sanitary manner. If a captive game animal is slaughtered for sale subject to DATCP inspection, the slaughter must comply with procedures specified by DATCP.
Diseased or Injured Animals; General
A person may not slaughter a food animal for human consumption, or submit a food animal for slaughter for human consumption, if the person knows or has reason to know that the animal is diseased or injured. But this prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
•
A slaughter inspected by DATCP or USDA.
• The custom slaughter of an animal injured within 24 hours prior to slaughter, if the animal is otherwise healthy. The animal owner must certify (see below) that the animal was injured within 24 hours prior to slaughter, and is not diseased.
• The custom slaughter of an animal injured more than 24 hours prior to slaughter, if the animal is otherwise healthy and all the following apply:
□ The animal owner certifies that the animal is injured, not diseased (see below).
□ A practicing veterinarian performs an ante mortem and post mortem inspection on the slaughtered animal.
Diseased or Injured Animals; Owner Certification
If a person submitting a food animal for slaughter for human consumption knows or has reason to know that the animal is diseased or injured, that person must sign and submit with that animal a written statement certifying all the following:
• The name and address of every person who has had custody of the animal in the last 30 days.
• The nature of each known or suspected disease or injury.
• The date and cause of each injury, if known.
• The date on which the animal became incapable of standing or walking, if the animal cannot stand or walk.
• All drugs given to the animal in the last 30 days, and the last date on which each drug was given.
Animals that Cannot Stand or Walk
A person may not slaughter for human consumption, or submit for slaughter for human consumption, a food animal that cannot stand or walk without assistance. But this prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
• An animal slaughtered at a licensed meat establishment, subject to DATCP inspection. The meat establishment must be properly equipped to handle animals that cannot stand or walk, and a DATCP veterinarian must perform the ante mortem and post mortem inspection.
• A slaughter performed at a meat establishment inspected by USDA.
• The mobile custom slaughter of an injured (not diseased) animal, if the slaughter complies with this rule. The animal owner must certify (see above) that the animal is merely injured, not diseased. If the animal was injured more than 24 hours prior to slaughter, a licensed practicing veterinarian must perform an ante mortem and post mortem inspection.
An animal that cannot stand or walk must be treated humanely. A meat establishment operator must have proper equipment for moving the animal humanely. A DATCP veterinarian inspecting the slaughter may order the animal held for up to 24 hours for further observation. If the animal has been treated with drugs for which the prescribed withdrawal time has not elapsed, the DATCP veterinarian must condemn the animal or hold it until the withdrawal time elapses.
Carcasses and Meat Received for Processing
A meat establishment operator must examine all carcasses and meat received for processing at a meat establishment. An operator may not receive, into any processing or storage area, any unclean or apparently unwholesome carcass or meat.
A meat establishment operator may not process any meat produced by the custom slaughter of a diseased animal. An operator may custom process meat produced by the custom slaughter of an injured (not diseased) food animal if one of the following applies:
• The animal was injured within 24 hours prior to slaughter.
•
A licensed practicing veterinarian performs an ante mortem and post mortem inspection of the slaughtered animal, and certifies that the meat is wholesome.
Condemned Animals and Meat
No person may slaughter, for human consumption, a food animal condemned by DATCP. If DATCP condemns a food animal on ante mortem inspection, the meat establishment operator must kill the animal and inject it with denaturant to make it inedible.
No person may process or sell, for human consumption, any meat condemned by DATCP. A meat establishment operator must denature or de-characterize the condemned meat so it is no longer edible. Containers used for condemned meat must be conspicuously marked “INEDIBLE."
Humane Slaughter
Persons slaughtering food animals must use humane methods. This rule specifies some humane slaughter methods, and requires meat establishment operators to handle animals humanely pending slaughter.
Slaughter and Processing Records
A person who slaughters any food animal for human consumption, or who processes the meat of any food animal for human consumption, must keep records including:
• The date and time of slaughter or processing.
• The number and type of animals slaughtered, and the disposition of the carcasses.
• The type and amount of meat processed, and the disposition of that meat.
• Certificates signed by persons submitting diseased or injured animals for slaughter (see above).
The person must keep the records for at least 3 years, and make the records available for inspection and copying by DATCP upon request. This rule does not require a meat establishment operator to duplicate slaughter records kept by a DATCP inspector at that meat establishment.
Custom Slaughter and Processing
A person providing a custom slaughter or custom processing service must do all the following:
• Hold an annual meat establishment license if required (see above).
• Hold an annual registration certificate if engaged in mobile custom slaughter or mobile custom processing (see below). A licensed meat establishment operator is not required to hold a mobile registration certificate.
• Comply with applicable slaughter and processing standards (see above).
• Label all the resulting meat products “NOT FOR SALE," and return them to the service recipient. Products must also be labeled with the service provider's name, license number or registration number.
• Comply with applicable requirements related to mobile custom slaughter or mobile custom processing (see below) if the person provides mobile custom services.
• Conduct custom slaughter and processing operations in a humane and sanitary manner.
• Keep records required under this rule.
Mobile Custom Slaughter and Processing
A person providing mobile custom slaughter or mobile custom processing services must do all the following:
• Comply with applicable requirements related to custom slaughtering and processing (see above).
• Hold an annual registration certificate from DATCP unless the person holds an annual meat establishment license (see above). A person must apply for an annual certificate in writing, on a form provided by DATCP. There is no charge for the registration certificate.
Mobile custom slaughter and processing operations must be clean and sanitary. Equipment must be of sanitary design, and must be kept in clean and sanitary condition. Meat contact surfaces of equipment and utensils must be cleaned and sanitized after each use, and more often as necessary. Personnel must follow proper sanitation practices. There must be an adequate supply of water to clean carcasses and equipment.
A person performing a mobile custom slaughter must return the resulting meat to the service recipient at the slaughter site, except that the service provider may transport a carcass to a licensed meat establishment for custom processing. Carcasses must be transported in a sanitary manner.
A person providing mobile custom slaughter or processing services must file a monthly report with DATCP. The report must include all the following:
• The name and address of each service recipient.
• The number and type of animals slaughtered for each service recipient.
• The date of each slaughter.
• The disposition of each carcass. If a carcass is transported to another location for further processing, the report must identify that location.
Labeling Inspected Meat
A meat establishment operator who processes DATCP-inspected meat must label the resulting meat products with a state inspection legend. The inspection legend normally consists of an outline map of Wisconsin enclosing the words “WIS. INSPECTED" and the meat establishment number. However, an equilateral triangle is used instead of a Wisconsin outline map if the meat comes from farm-raised deer, captive game animals or captive game birds.
Federal law prohibits the sale of state-inspected meat (meat required to bear a Wisconsin outline inspection legend) to other states. But this prohibition does not apply to state-inspected meat from farm-raised deer, captive game animals or captive game birds (meat required to bear a triangular inspection legend).
Meat Labeling; General
Meat must be labeled according to this rule and ch.
ATCP 90 (fair packaging and labeling). Meat and meat food products offered for sale must be labeled with all the following:
• The name of the meat or meat food product.
• The net weight of the meat or meat food product.
• The name and address of the processor or distributor.
• A state or federal inspection legend, if required (see above).
• An ingredient statement if the product contains 2 or more ingredients.
• Safe handling instructions if required under
9 CFR 317.2(l).
• Appropriate statements identifying perishable products.
No person may sell any misbranded meat or make any false, deceptive or misleading representation in connection with the sale of meat. No person may misrepresent the identity of any meat product. Product identification must comply with standards of identity contained in
9 CFR 319.
This rule prohibits a person from doing any of the following:
• Applying any false mark, legend or label to meat.
• Misrepresenting that meat has been inspected, or misrepresenting inspection findings.
• Misrepresenting that meat has been processed at a licensed meat establishment, or is derived from carcasses inspected and passed by DATCP.
