FOOD SAFETY

Limerick County Council is an official agency of the Foods Safety Authority of Ireland which is the national body responsible for the implementation of food safety legislation in the state.

Under Contract to the Authority we supervise abattoirs and meat cutting/processing premises located within the county and supplying the domestic market.

10 Domestic Abattoirs in Co. Limerick are licensed to slaughter animals intended for human consumption.

Each animal is inspected by a veterinary officer before and after slaughter to ensure the fitness and safety of the meat produced and its identification is checked against the national database for traceability purposes. Abattoir operational/structural hygiene and animal welfare standards are monitored and appropriate action taken when deemed necessary to ensure compliance, not only with legislative requirements but also with recognised codes of best practice.

Combined throughput of abattoirs in 2010 was:

Meat Cutting/Processing Premises

The Limerick County Council Veterinary Service supervises 10 such premises. The type of operations vary from cutting and packing of fresh meat/meat products to meat curing to sausage and pudding manufacture. All premises supply to the local retail and catering trade. Advice and guidance on upgrading of premises to comply with European legislation is provided to proprietors. Premises employ food safety management systems based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) principles and the Service conducts regular audits on controls in place.

Application Form available Application for Registration of Premises (PDF Format)