veterinary excellence in government
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About GVS - Meat Hygiene Service
The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is an Executive Agency of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The MHS safeguards public health and animal welfare through fair, consistent and effective enforcement of hygiene, inspection and welfare regulations in GB. It has a statutory duty to provide meat inspection services on demand, if a plant operator has given the requisite period of notice of requirements. MHS functions, discharged on behalf of the FSA, include:
The MHS also undertakes work under Service Level Agreements for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Welsh Assembly Government Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department; and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. This work includes enforcement of animal welfare and slaughter legislation; disease surveillance; export certification; and licensing of slaughtermen. The MHS discharges the responsibilities of the Rural Payments Agency in supervising the implementation of the Over Thirty Months Scheme for cattle, and collects and dispatches samples for testing on behalf of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
Some 90% of the MHS’s 1,600 directly employed staff (including approximately 50 Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs), are based at around 1500 licensed premises throughout Great Britain. The MHS also contracts for the services of approximately 600 - 700 full and part-time OVSs at licensed premises Further informationFurther information is available from: Meat Hygiene Service Tel: 01904 455501 Or the Food Standards Agency website.
Page last modified 10 July, 2009 |
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The
provision of ante mortem and post mortem inspection and healthmarking
services in licensed fresh meat premises. The enforcement of legislation
and controls in licensed fresh meat premises covering: hygiene; specified
risk material; animal by-products; the prohibition of the sale of meat
for human consumption from cattle over 30 months of age; HACCP and microbiological
testing. 
The
MHS operates from a headquarters in York, and five Regional Offices -
North (also based in York); Central (based in Wolverhampton); South &
West (based in Taunton); Wales (based in Cardiff), and Scotland (based
in Edinburgh).