Guidance

Approval of operating plants handling or processing meat

How to get approval for operating plants handling or processing meat in England and Wales.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Applying for approval of a meat establishment

Details

Get approval from the Food Standards Agency or local food authority for operating plants which process or handle meat.

You must get approval to operate a plant which processes or handles meat. In England and Wales, this comes from either the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or the local food authority, depending on what you’re doing.

How to apply

Contact the Food Standards Agency to get approval for:

  • slaughterhouses
  • cutting plants
  • game-handling establishments
  • wholesale meat market

If you wish to apply for the authorisation of on-farm slaughter facilities for farmed game, you also need to contact the FSA.

If you have cold stores, minced meat, meat preparation, re-wrapping / re-packaging establishments and meat processing plants at the same location as any of these, they will also be approved by the FSA.

A veterinary official checks applications and inspects plants for approval.

Contact the local authority to get approval for stand-alone:

  • meat preparation establishments
  • meat processing and rewrapping plants
  • minced meat establishments
  • coldstores

Find your local authority

Updates to this page

Published 16 February 2021

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