Meat manuals, guidelines, and amendments
Browse food safety standards, guidelines, and amendments for meat and game.
Meat codes of practice
The industry standards for meat and game are gradually being replaced by codes of practice. Find out more:
Manuals and guidelines for meat and game

Details the programme recognised agencies must apply verifiying export animal materials and products (does not apply to live animals or germplasm).


This guidance document has been developed to explain the requirements that apply to the procurement and supply of wild and game estate animals into the regulated food chain and to assist certified suppliers and certified game estate supplier to meet those requirements.


Provides clarity and a consistent understanding of the application of the phrase "same premises or place" and describes what consitutes adequate separation.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has developed this guidance document to help micro abattoir businesses to complete the Risk Management Programme (RMP) template for Micro Abattoirs.

This is a revised version of the Animal Products Official Assurances Programme, which now excludes all parts of the previous programme that had been transferred over to the Animal Products (Official Assurances Specifications) Notice 2013.

Salmonella Brandenburg emerged as a devastating cause of abortion and deaths in ewes in many districts of Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Unfortunately we believe that further geographic spread of the disease including into the North Island is probably only a matter of time.


This Programme is in support of the requirements of Section 7A Movement Controls of the
Meat Act 1981. It should also be noted that the application of sections 52 and 53 of the
Biosecurity Act 1993 are to be considered in the application of this programme to
individual cases.
Meat manuals and industry standards

New Zealand has allowed spray chilling for some time as per the requirements of IS6. The intention of spray chilling is to reduce or compensate for the water loss of the carcass (including sides and quarters) that occurs during the chilling process. Spray chilling also has some microbiological effect in that it allows the surface of the carcass to cool down effectively. The National Microbiological Database (NMD) programme provides verification to this effect.

This industry standard applies to all aspects of design and construction of premises licensed in terms of the Meat Act 1981 and its pursuant regulations, and approved premises that fall within the jurisdiction of MAF RA (M&S), excluding fish packing
houses, limited processing fishing vessels and whole fish processing premises.

Industry Standard 3 / Industry Agreed Standard 3 (IS3/IAS3) lays down the requirements for the establishment and the maintenance of a hygienic production environment in premises licensed under the Meat Act 1981, or approved by NZFSA, excluding fish packing houses, and whole fish processing premises.

Industry Standard 4 describes the New Zealand requirements promulgated under the MeatAct 1981 for the procurement of animals intended to be processed into food. These requirements apply to the procurement of animals killed in the field (game) and animals presented for slaughter but do not apply to seafood, poultry or ostriches and emus. The standards for procurement of poultry are in PIPS 5, ostriches and emus in OEPS 5 and those for seafood in IAIS 003 and IAIS 005.


Byproducts, according to the Meat Act 1981, includes any article that is derived from
any farmed deer, fish, game, possum, rabbit or stock which is not intended for use, or
capable of being used, for human consumption. In effect, this means that every article
from any animal is in fact a byproduct unless it is intended for human consumption, in
which case it must satisfy a criteria for a product (an article or substance that is fit for
human consumption).

Industry Standard 8 (IS 8) describes the quality systems that are necessary to
provide assurance that the food safety and regulatory outcomes which support
branding and certification and for which the Director-General is accountable have
been developed and implemented. Outcomes which are detailed in various ISs
and directives provide the Licensee with flexibility to decide how these outcomes
may be achieved.

IS 9 describes the requirements for the storage and transport of products and byproducts. These requirements shall apply whenever products and/or byproducts are stored in licensed or MAF approved premises, transported between licensed or MAF approved stores, or transported to a port in preparation for export. For the purposes of this industry standard, product does not include seafood.

The purpose of this manual is to set out the Director-General (D-G) specifications for:
• branding of stock, farmed deer and certain specified products,
• the format and performance standards for official devices
• procedures for the production, security and handling by manufacturers and suppliers of official devices.
Application

The principle goal of this Ostrich and Emu processing standard is to produce Ostrich and Emu meat for human consumption and to minimise the potential food safety hazards associated with Ostrich and Emu. This standard recognises the major elements in the process and identifies food safety objectives for each of the sections. Several principles are outlined for processing Ostrich and Emu which are based on the application of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. This Ostrich and Emu Processing Standard 5 (or OEPS5) also allows for the adoption of alternative processing methods, if validated within the terms of IS/IAS 8, Section 4.