RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION OF MEAT PROCESS ING PLANTS IN THE FEDERAL-REPUBLIC-OF-GERMANY BY EC EXPERTS 1993

The present overview of deficiencies established during the on-the-spo t inspections in 136 meat-processing plants in Germany by EC experts c ontains information about 69 slaughter plants and plants with more tha n one registered branch, 55 meat-cutting plants and 12 cold stores. Th e overview is based on individual plant inspection protocols from a to tal of 18 tours to almoust all Federal States of Germany in 1993. For the first time, a survey on the frequency of complaints concerning doc uments to be presented for the opening session is contained. The other chapters were written strictly based on the overview of 1992 (Schutt- Abraham et al., 1994). This provides for the possibility to derive imp ortant points of hygienic defiencies from both overviews. In 1993, 64% of the slaughter plants and 48% of the cutting plants were found in a situation which definitely did not meet the requirements of the Counc il Directive 64/433/EC. An inquiry by the EC Commission was announced for at least 8 slaughter and 2 cutting plants. The veterinary experts of the Commission came to the conclusion that meat from these plants w as not harmless for health and unfit for trade within the common marke t because of serious hygienic deficiencies.