SFPA PUBLISHES UPDATED FOOD SAFETY INFORMATION NOTICE ON ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS REGULATIONS

SFPA publishes updated food safety information notice on animal by-products regulations. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) recently published an updated Food Safety Information Notice (FSIN) in relation to seafood operators and their obligations under Animal By-Products (ABPs) regulations. ABPs are materials of animal origin but not consumed by humans – they possess a potential risk of transmitting diseases to humans or animals if not appropriately managed and processed. It’s imperative to categorise ABPs accurately based on their associated risk levels. The FSIN details the three distinct categories for ABPs.

Food Business Operators (FBO’s), including fishermen and processors, must adhere to regulations concerning the disposal of mollusc shells, crustacean processing waste, and other ABPs including bait. Any business producing material of animal origin that is not intended for human consumption must understand and comply with regulations applicable to their business. The person possessing the ABP material at any stage in the chain is responsible for ensuring compliance with the ABP regulations.

FBOs involved in the transportation of ABPs or derived products including bait must ensure the accompanying of a commercial document with each consignment. Further requirements for FBOs are detailed in the FSIN. The FSIN also provides details on the transportation of ABPs, retaining a record of any consignments of ABPs and the disposal of shellfish shells.

The SFPA is committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation and is available to provide guidance. For assistance or further details on the FSIN, please contact: sfpafood&fisheriessupport@sfpa.ie

FSIN

The FSIN can be accessed on the SFPA website under the Fishery Information Notices section or directly via the following link:

https://www.sfpa.ie/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=t_O7BCgzKX0%3d&portalid=0&resourceView=1

What Are ABPs

ABPs are materials of animal origin but not consumed by humans. In the seafood industry, these include, but are not limited to:

Inedible parts from slaughtered animals intended for human consumption or not placed on the market as food. This category includes fish skin, heads, tails, bones, offal, and shells with flesh attached.

Bodies of finfish, live bivalve molluscs and other molluscs that have died either in the wild or within aquaculture farms and classified production areas.
Former foodstuff of animal origin, such as fish, which have been deemed unfit for human consumption due to commercial reasons, quality, production failures etc.
Bait used by commercial fishing fleet.

Transport of ABPs

FBOs involved in the transportation of ABPs or derived products including bait must ensure a commercial document accompanies each consignment. For further information on Commercial Documents and their applicability to the transporting of ABP, please refer to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) trader notice. The DAFM Trader notice can be accessed here

https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/trader-notice-022024-commercial-document-for-the-transport-of-animal-by-products-or-de.pdf

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