You will need this accreditation if you intend to become a commercial meat and / or poultry producer, or run a meat processing business for the purposes of processing animals or animal carcasses for the production of meat for human consumption.
Activities undertaken by a meat producer may include:
- slaughtering animals
- producing meat from slaughtered animals
- storing meat or meat products.
Producers of ready-to-eat meats also need this accreditation. Ready-to-eat meat is meat, meat product or poultry meat that is intended to be consumed without further heating or cooking. For example, cooked meat, dried or cured meat and luncheon meat.
Accredited producers will need to comply with the Meat and Poultry Food Safety Scheme as prescribed by regulation. The Scheme requires accredited producers to:
- comply with relevant standards
- hold an accreditation in order to carry on a business involving the production or processing of meat and poultry
- prepare and implement an approved food safety program which is audited at least once a year.
