This page contains information on sampling frequencies and the criteria that allow switching to reduced sampling.

The sampling frequencies for Processed Meats are available from here.

Table 1: Sampling frequency for red meat carcasses

* Tests undertaken pre 11.01.06 can be used to qualify for reduced frequency testing.  For Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic plate count, the tests carried out for the meat HACCP regulations may be used.  For Salmonella the sampling and testing method must be as specified in this regulation.

Table 2: Sampling frequency for poultry slaughterhouses.

 ** Tests for Salmonella undertaken pre 11.01.06 can be used to qualify for reduced frequency testing providing the sampling and testing method was exactly as specified in this regulation

Please Note: Important information

Sampling frequencies for red and poultry meat will be reviewed in 2007. The review will include provision for those categories where testing is not required and also further detail reduced testing frequencies for satisfactory results.

The new regulations bring an important change for those plants that process more than one species.  In the past, multi-red meat species plants were required to sample 5 carcasses per week (or at a reduced frequency based on total throughput) and allowed to alternate the species sampled each week.  From January 2006, alternating species is no longer allowed. The reason for the change is that when species are alternated, the trend graphs that are generated are not meaningful.  The generation of meaningful trends is a requirement of the new regulations.

This should not mean an increase in testing for most plants and in some cases may result in a decrease in testing.

THE FREQUENCY OF TESTING REQUIRED FOR EACH SPECIES IS DETERMINED ON THE THROUGHPUT OF THAT SPECIES AND NOT ON THE TOTAL THROUGHPUT.

A worked example:

An example plant processes both cattle and sheep carcasses.  The annual throughput for cattle is 25,000 carcasses and for sheep 43,000 carcasses are processed.  Thus for cattle, the plant is classed as a standard throughput processor (Category 1 in table 1).  For sheep, the plant is a small throughput processor (Category 2 in table 1).

At the beginning of testing, the test frequencies for this plant are:

Cattle-	5 carcasses per week for APC, Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella
Sheep-	5 carcasses per week for APC, Enterobacteriaceae and 5 carcasses every 4 weeks for Salmonella

Lets say that we begin testing from the week commencing 9th January 2006 (and conveniently ignore any historical test results to keep things simple) and obtain the results below using sponge swabs.  Cells are colour-coded to show where the results lie within the hygiene bands:

After 2 weeks of testing, all of the sheep test results were satisfactory for APC and Enterobacteriaceae.  Thus the plant can now switch from weekly testing to reduced testing every 4 weeks for APC and Enterobacteriaceae for sheep.  If we look at some more test results:

We now have 6 weeks of satisfactory test results for cattle for APC and Enterobacteriaceae, thus we can switch from weekly testing to fortnightly testing for cattle for APC and Enterobacteriaceae.  Since the sheep results continue to be satisfactory, we continue on reduced testing for the sheep.  Continuing on with some more test results......

For the week commencing 13/03/06, our sheep test results were unacceptable.  Thus we can no longer stay on reduced testing for sheep, and need to move back to weekly testing.  The reduced testing for cattle is unaffected by the out of specification sheep test results. 

After a further two weeks of satisfactory test results for sheep, the plant can move back to reduced testing for APC and Enterobacteriaceae for sheep.

If we put the APC and Enterobacteriaceae results to one side to keep things simple, we can concentrate on how the Salmonella testing operates.  A summary of what we have so far for Salmonella is:

For the cattle plant, we have samples from 12 sampling events.  The Salmonella detections are satisfactory over 10 weeks (i.e. not more than 2/50 samples are positive for Salmonella).  However, 30 weeks of satisfactory results (i.e. not more than 2/50 samples are positive for Salmonella in any 10 week period in these 30 weeks) are initially required for full throughput plants before they can switch to reduced testing every fortnight. 

Currently, there is no reduced testing for small (category 2) plants, even if they have 30 consecutive sampling events which are satisfactory. However this situation may change in 2007 when a review of testing will be undertaken. The reason for the review being in 2007 is because it will take 40 weeks before a typical small (category 2) processing plant of the same type as the example sheep plant above would be able to tell if they have satisfactory Salmonella testing results and 120 weeks before they have 30 consecutive sampling events.