The Beef Carcase Classification scheme: register
If your abattoir slaughters 150 or more bovines aged 8 months or over per week (on a rolling annual average) you must be registered with the Beef Carcase Classification (BCC) scheme.
Applies to England and Wales
If your abattoir slaughters 150 or more bovine animals aged 8 months or over per week (based on a rolling annual average), you must register for and comply (meet) with the rules of the BCC scheme.
Under the scheme, you must categorise and grade (classify) all beef carcases of bovine animals aged 8 months and over for a combination of fat and conformation. Uniform grading of carcases ensures fair payment for producers according to carcase quality.
If you’re slaughtering fewer animals than this you can still register for the scheme on a voluntary basis. This will allow you to classify carcases according to the EU scales. However, once BCC registered you’ll need to classify all carcases of bovines aged 8 months or over at your abattoir and adhere fully with the regulations.
How to register
To register, fill in and send to RPA at the address below.
You can get in touch with the Meat Technical Schemes team if you have any questions about the scheme.
Keep your details up to date
You must tell RPA’s Meat Technical Schemes team if any of the details you gave when registering for the BCC scheme change, within 28 days. That is changes to:
- the operator or operators of the premises or the operator’s trading name
- the address or telephone number of the premises or the owner’s registered office
- the approval number of the abattoir (assigned by the Food Standards Agency).
If you stop being an operator of an approved slaughterhouse you must send details to RPA’s Meat Technical Schemes team within 10 days to tell us:
- the date you stopped
- the person, if any, taking over as the operator of the slaughterhouse.
Contact
Meat Technical Schemes
Rural Payments Agency
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA3 8DX
Email MTS.Carlisle@rpa.gov.uk
Telephone 03300 416508
Last updated 1 January 2021 + show all updates
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The Beef Carcase Classification scheme registration form (BCCS3) regulations updated and form made accessible.
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Text reviewed and updated
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First published.