SERVICE PROVIDERS
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The service providers are responsible for providing the following services:
| 1.1 | Meat Classification (For all species of animals - Bovines, goats, sheep and pigs) |
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| 2. | Administrative Requirements |
| 2.1 | The service providers shall be industry representative bodies or entities and legally identifiable by means of a registered business with the notification of directors and/or shareholders. |
| 2.2 | The service providers shall have a documented Quality Management System (QMS) which describes their functions and the technical scope of activity for which they are competent. The prescribed scope of meat classification will be determined by the executive officer and assignee. |
| 2.3 | The service providers shall be certified by the assignee. |
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| 3. | Independence, Impartiality and Integrity |
The personnel of the service providers shall be free from any commercial, financial and other pressures, which might affect their judgment. Persons from organisations external to the service providers may not be able to influence the results of meat classification being performed.
The service providers shall be independent and provide a service that will meet the following criteria:
| (a) | The service providers shall be independent of the parties involved. The service providers and their personnel responsible for carrying out meat classification may not be the purchaser, owner, user or agent of the meat or animal products which they classify, nor the authorised representative of any such person. |
| (b) | The service providers and its personnel may not engage in any activities that may compromise their independence of judgment and integrity in relation to their meat classification activities. In particular they may not become directly or indirectly involved in the supply, the installation where animals are being slaughtered or the purchaser or agent of any meat or animal product. |
| (c) | The executive officer and assignee shall have access to the relevant records pertaining to the services of the service providers. |
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The service providers shall ensure confidentiality of information obtained in the course of their meat classification activities. Proprietary rights shall be protected.
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| 5. | Organisation and Management |
| 5.1 | The service providers shall have an organisational structure that enables them to maintain the capacity to perform their functions. |
| 5.2 | The service providers shall define and document the responsibilities and reporting structure of their organization (organizational chart). |
| 5.3 | The service providers shall have a manager (however named), who is experienced in the operation of service providers and who has overall responsibility that the meat classification activities are carried out in accordance with these regulations. The manager shall be a permanent employee. |
| 5.4 | The service providers shall have designated persons who will deputize in the absence of any manager (however named) responsible for the rendering of the service. |
| 5.5 | Each operation within the service shall be described. These job descriptions shall include the requirements for education, training, technical knowledge and experience, and shall also indicate the roles and responsibilities as follows: |
| (a) | Teeth counting - independent qualified person or person under his/her supervision. |
| (b) | Stamping - independent qualified person. |
| (c) | Roller marking - independent qualified person or person under his/her supervision. |
| (d) | Cleaning of classification equipment - independent qualified person or person under his/her supervision. |
| (e) | Record keeping - independent qualified person. |
| (f) | Identification of heads and carcasses - independent qualified person or person under his/her supervision. |
| (g) | Fat thickness measurement (pork) - independent qualified person. |
| 5.6 | The service providers shall maintain a system for control of all documentation relating to their activities. It shall ensure tha — |
| (a) | the latest versions of the appropriate documentation are available at all relevant locations and to all relevant personnel; |
| (b) | all changes of documents or amendments to documents are covered by the correct authorisation and processed in a manner which will ensure timely availability at the appropriate locations; |
| (c) | replaced documents are removed from use throughout the organisation, but one copy is filed for a determined period; and |
| (d) | other authorised parties, as necessary, are notified of changes. |
| 5.7 | The service providers shall carry out internal audits to verify compliance with the criteria of the Act and these regulations. The personnel performing the audits shall be suitably qualified. |
| 5.8 | The service providers shall have documented procedures for dealing with feedback and corrective action whenever discrepancies are detected in the performance of services. |
| 5.9 | The management of the service providers shall review the service at appropriate intervals to ensure its continuing suitability and effectiveness. The results of such reviews shall be recorded. |
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| 6.1 | The service providers shall have a sufficient number and designated permanent personnel with the range of expertise to carry out their normal functions - this includes the availability of relief personnel. |
| 6.2 | The personnel responsible for the meat classification service shall have relevant qualifications, training, experience and a satisfactory knowledge of the requirements of the service to be carried out. They shall have the ability to make professional judgments as to conformity with regulatory requirements and to report thereon. |
| 6.3 | The service providers shall establish a documented training system to ensure that the training of their personnel, in the technical and administrative aspects of the work in which they will be involved, is kept up-to-date in accordance with their QMS, and it shall include— |
| (b) | a supervised working period with experienced personnel; and |
| (c) | continuation training, throughout employment, to keep pace with developing technology. |
| 6.4 | Records of academic or other qualifications, training and experience of each member of their personnel shall be maintained by the service providers. |
| 6.5 | The service providers shall provide guidance for the conduct of their personnel, and a written code of conduct shall be available. |
| 6.6 | The service providers shall ensure that personnel engaged in meat classification do not receive any compensation from sources other than the service providers. |
| 6.7 | All personnel shall be clearly identifiable as being meat classifiers in service of the service providers. |
| 6.8 | The service providers may only make use of competent personnel appearing on the national database of the assignee. |
| 6.9 | The authorisation of a classifier found guilty of fraud in a court of law in accordance with these classification regulations, will be withdrawn permanently. |
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| 7. | Facilities and Equipment |
| 7.1 | The service providers shall have access to adequate suitable facilities and equipment required for rendering the meat classification service. |
| 7.2 | The service providers shall ensure that all classification equipment is in proper working order and defects are documented and reported to the responsible person. |
| 7.3 | The service providers shall ensure that, where appropriate, equipment is calibrated and tested for accuracy before slaughtering (e.g. Hennessey Grading Probe, intrascope, etc.) |
| 7.4 | Service providers shall take care that defective equipment is removed from service. |
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| 8. | Meat Classification Methods and Procedures |
| 8.1 | The service providers shall use the methods and procedures for meat classification which are set out in these regulations, against which conformity is to be determined. |
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9. Handling Meat Classification Traceability
| 9.1 | The service providers shall ensure that carcasses and heads thereof be evaluated and identified to avoid confusion regarding the identity of such items at any time (traceability). |
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