Meat inspection
Our meat inspection division is Europe’s largest independent provider of verification, supervision and enforcement in fresh meat premises and recognised as the highest qualified, most expert and best distributed across England and Wales. Ensuring that processing plants and slaughterhouses follow statutory safety and hygiene standards during food production, we supervise more than 75% of the British meat industry and are the sole GB provider to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Eville & Jones’ skilled field force of more than 700 Official Veterinarians (OVs), Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHIs) and Plant Inspection Assistants (PIAs) ensures that processing plants and slaughterhouses meet or exceed all relevant legislated safety and hygiene standards and FSA requirements throughout food production, including meat inspection.
We conduct ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of all animals presented for human consumption at the premises of Food Business Operators (FBOs), to determine their suitability to enter the food chain. Working with cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry to check welfare conditions and inspect live animals for signs of disease, our team:
- collects and dispatches samples for further analysis
- conducts inspections and appropriate enforcement actions where needed
- develops excellent working relationships with both FSA colleagues and FBO representatives
Every meat inspection team is led by an OV, who is responsible for ensuring fresh meat is fit for human consumption, and has undergone the required ante-mortem and post-mortem health inspection and residue sampling. They ensure meat as safe, identify unfit product and verify that unfit meat is disposed of correctly by slaughterhouses. Each OV is assisted by qualified MHIs in all these tasks.
We are hugely proud of our crucial role in safeguarding animal welfare, public health and hygiene, which guarantees complete peace of mind for our stakeholders.
Our meat inspection teams help give assurance that food is safe to eat, that meat has been produced in compliance with legislative requirements and under hygienic conditions.