Manual for official controls
Legal requirements and standards for approved meat establishments.
Once your premises have been approved, you will find the Manual for Official Controls (MOC) beneficial for further information.
The MOC describes the tasks, responsibilities and duties of our staff carrying out official controls in approved establishments.
Manual for Official Controls guidance
The Manual for Official Controls documentation is accurate as of 09 September 2024. Recent changes to the MOC can be found in the revision log.
Northern Ireland
The MOC describes the tasks, responsibilities and duties of DAERA officials carrying out official controls in approved establishments on behalf of us. This is maintained and updated by DAERA and can be found on their website.
References to EU legislation in FSA guidance
Directly applicable EU legislation no longer applies in GB. EU legislation retained when the UK exited the EU became assimilated law on 1 January 2024, published on legislation.gov.uk. References to any legislation in FSA guidance with ‘EU’ or ‘EC’ in the title (e.g. Regulation (EC) 178/2002) should now be regarded as assimilated law where applicable to GB. References to ‘Retained EU Law’ or ‘REUL’ should now be regarded as references to assimilated law.
For businesses moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, information on the Windsor Framework is available on GOV.UK.
The Windsor Framework was adopted by the UK and EU on 24 March 2023. The Framework provides a unique set of arrangements to support the flow of agrifood retail products from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI), allowing GB standards for public health in relation to food, marketing and organics to apply for pre-packed retail goods moved via the NI Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS).
England and Wales
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Temporary Operational Instructions
Manual for Official Controls revision log
The following revisions to Manual for Official Controls documentation have been made as of 09 September 2024.
Chapter 2.2
- Section 2.4.2 - Removal of link to BCVA emergency slaughter booklet no longer available
- Section 2.4.3 - Removal of the use of square health mark for emergency slaughters
Chapter 2.3
- Section 2.2.5 - Removal of wording on back up stun in poultry religious slaughter pending guidance from Defra legal
- Section 3.3.2 - Amend the poultry DOA guidance to reflect agreed wording with Defra
- Section 4.1.6 - Insertion of a paragraph explaining the approval process
- Section 6.3.5 - Under section 4 "feedback" change OV to VEDM on feedback letter
Chapter 2.4
- Section 6.1.6 Clarified green offal requirements in effile poultry - new instructions clearly says that green offal must be presented and inspected
Chapter 2.5
- Sections 3.2.3 to 3.2.6 - Amended the return of cattle passports from abattoirs
Chapter 2.6
- Throughout Chapter - References to old form removed. accessibility reviewed. Some missing text added to pictures, and information included in some tables moved to list of steps.
- Section 2.2.3 - Updated procedure to request BSE testing training for plant staff
- Section 2.15.3 - Contact email for APHA lab updated
- Section 2.21 - Updated enforcement instructions for BSE testing failures
- Section 3.4.3 – 3.4.11 numbering adjusted to remove duplication
- Section 3.9.6 - H&S measures for BSE sampling
- Section 3.14.2 - Addition of material to be requested to SLA unit
- Section 3.14.3 - Additional instructions added for adequate disposal of waste.
- Section 3.16.5 - Updated instructions and contact details for the lab.
- Section 3.17.3 - Updated instructions and contact details for APHA
- Annex 6 - Updated Annex 6: Sample notification of TSE samples sent to the TSE Testing Laboratory for testing
Chapter 2.9
- Format updates throughout the chapter for improved accessibility
- Sections 4.15.1, 4.17.2, 4.18.3, 4.27 - addition of explanatory sentences for flowcharts
Chapter 2.10
- Annex 1 – Replaced with the current version
Chapter 2.11
- Section 1.2.1 - Paragraph added regarding export of over temperature meat to EU and NI
- Section 2.1.2 - Requirement for OV to include details of customers where intermediaries are involved in authorisation for the transport of over temperature meat for the production of 'specific products'
- Section 2.2.2 - As above for the authorisation of transport of partially chilled meat
- Section 2.3.2 - Reference to paragraph 2.4 removed
- Section 2.4 - Section removed - obsolete
- Section 3.2.2 - Clarification of process for suspending an authorisation for the transport of over temperature meat
- Section 3.2.3 - Clarification of process for revoking an authorisation for the transport of over temperature meat
- Section 3.3 - Clarification of process for appealing a suspension or revocation of authorisation for the transport of over temperature meat
- Annexes 1-3 - Annexes amended to reflect the changes to Ch 2.11
Chapter 3
- Section 1.1 - Applicable regulations updated to include Assimilated EU Regulations
- Section 3.1.5 – Examples of non-EU countries approvals removed (page 39)
- Section 3.2.1 – Example of non-EU site specific approval removed and provided further explanation of the RMOP requirement for certain countries.
- Section 3.2.2 – food.gov.uk link for FBO audits updated
- Section 3.4.1 – Clarification on audit procedures for non-EU countries
- Section 3.4.2 – List of corrective actions to be included in the Corrective Action Report (CAR) formatted to Arial 12
- Annex 4h1 - Form 6 A updated
- Annex 10 - RMOP for beef to Canada for establishments exporting precursor material (e.g. trim) intended for finished raw ground beef production (FRGBP) or precursor material used to produce FRGBP updated
Chapter 4.1
- Section 4.3.7 - Audit notes not to be a substitute of the contemporaneous notebook
- Section 4.9.3 - Update of the remote audit flowchart to include "no" where missed.
- Section 5.3.2 - Deleted that premises exporting to third countries will have annual audits when they have a Good outcome.
- Section 5.4 - Review and right of appeal section updated to remove old references to roles and teams
- Section 5.4.4 - New section added to clarify that the audit process continues during an audit appeal.
- Annex 1 – Q 3.13 - Explained the minimum checks to be done b the auditor to ascertain the volume of minced meat and meat preparations
- Annex 3 - Update of the links in the audit preparation list
Chapter 5.1
- Section 2 - Addition of a new subsection 2.15, with the actions on positive results from routine RIM samples
- Section 3.4.5 - Panels to be selected for antibiotics added.
Chapter 6
- Throughout Chapter APHA vet added as Duty VO not applicable in all cases.
- Section 1.1.1 – ASF and BTV added to the text
- Section 2.1.1 - Clarification in some Notifiable Diseases
- Section 2.3 - Added missing text detailing action to take when ND has been ruled out by APHA vet.
- Section 7.3.2 - Addition of TB24c
- Section 7.8.12 – Addition of the new form, TN60, for wild deer; separation between bovine, non-bovine species, wild deer in terms of relevant form completion/ submission
- Section 7.10.3 - Addition of justification of the reason the TB skin lesions are not required
- Section 7.10.5.2 – Addition of TN60
- Section 7.12.1 – Addition of TN60
- Section 7.12.2 – Addition of TN60
- Section 7.12.3 – Addition of TN60
- Section 7.13.1 - Addition of TN60
- Section 9.4.3 – Removal of example of restricted meat marking .
- Section 10.4 – Updated designation conditions for BTV.
- Section 10.7 – Change of charging code from GBLU to GDIS for BTV controls
- Section 12 - Addition of Annex 16d - Sample:TN60
Chapter 7
- Section 2.5.4 – Update the use of official pocket book
- Section 4.3.4 - Update to add new references for letters and formal notices
- Section 4.8.1 - Clarification on service of a HEPN and application process for a HEPO. Consolidation of two separate tables to flow better.
- Annex 22 - New Annex - Conflict Management 5 Step Approach
- Annex 23 - New Annex - Guidance on Going to Court
Chapter 9
- Creation of Enforcement Forms for the Welsh CCTV In Slaughterhouses Regulations. The ability to serve such notices will come into force on 1st December 2024 and they cannot be used prior to this date due to the commencement rules set out in Regulation 1(4): WEL 11-38 (W)
WEL 11-39 (W)
WEL 11-40 (W)
WEL 11-41 (W)
Chapter 12
- Section 1.2 – Explanation of purpose of product recalls added
- Section 1.3.1 - Update of examples of serious localised food hazards to align with FLCoP
- Section 1.4 - Lines of communication section updated
- Section 2.1.1 - Field ops as responsible for carrying out hazard assessment
- Section 2.1.2 - Addition of reporting requirement for malicious tampering or deliberate contamination
- Section 2.2.1 - Re-worded point about limited historical evidence to limited previous knowledge
- Section 2.2.2 - Addition of list of required information to inform Risk Management Advice
- Section 2.2.3 - Removal of process diagram
Chapter 13
- Sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, 3.4, and 4 - Legal references updated. Amending 'REUL' to 'assimilated' and removing prefixes where previously stated
- Section 1.3 - Changing the alternate decision maker from a deputy in OAE to an alternative SCS in Operations
- Section 2.10 - Changing the word 'establishment' to 'premises' to give it correct legal meaning
Note: Chapter 2.8, Chapter 5.2, and Volume 2 have also had formatting updates to improve accessibility but have not had content changes
Revision log
Published: 11 April 2018
Last updated: 14 November 2024