Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Trader Notice: MH 33/2013

To: Operators of approved game handling establishments

Subject: Trained Persons in Health & Hygiene with respect to Wild Game

Trained Person Declaration Mandatory Requirement

Following a public consultation this summer, the Department has put the following conditions in place:

·  From 1st January 2014 it will be a mandatory requirement for all Approved Game Handling Establishments to only accept wild game accompanied by a trained person declaration;

·  This applies to all wild game species including large and small wild game;

·  As an allowance for irregular suppliers of wild game, hunters supplying less than 5 deer bodies in a season (or equivalent small wild game bodies) will be exempt from the requirement until 1st September 2014.

The full response to the public consultation is available on the DAFM website and is also attached.

Trained Person’s Tags

Trained Person’s Tags are available from hunter organisations that have officially recognised training courses. Coillte also have a trained person tag approved by the competent authorities which is used by Coillte personnel who are certified trained persons.

Approved Game Handling Establishments can issue their suppliers with Trained Persons Tags upon approval of the tag and associated procedures from their local Official Veterinarian. The tags must be orange in colour and be made of robust and waterproof material which allows the trained person to write their details on it. The following minimum information is to appear on the tag:

·  The business name of the AGHE

·  A title such as “TRAINED PERSON’S IDENTIFICATION TAG”

·  Have a unique sequential serial number e.g. XX00001 where XX signifies the name of the AGHE and 00001 is the unique carcase number

·  Have a space for the Trained Person’s certificate number to be entered

·  Note: The AGHE’s approval number must not appear on the tag

EXAMPLE: Template for a Trained Person’s Identification Tag for placing on Wild Game Bodies

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Control of Tags

Tags must only issue to trained persons for which the AGHE has appropriate records on file. The AGHE must maintain a record of tags issued to trained persons. Details to be recorded include the tag numbers issued, date of issue, the person’s name, trained person’s number, and deer hunter licence number (where applicable).

Linkage with Intake Document

The individual tag number on the wild game body(s) must be recorded on the Intake Document accompanying them to the AGHE. All other details on the Intake Document are to be completed by the hunter & trained person as appropriate. Where there isn’t a clear correlation between the wild game body and the intake document the wild game body must be declared unfit for human consumption.

Approval of Own Trained Person’s Tags

Before printing and issuing tags to suppliers, AGHE’s must have agreed with their Official Veterinarian that the proposed tag and control procedures are satisfactory to meet the criteria detailed above.

Trained Person’s Certificate Number

Accreditation with a recognised training body is one of the criteria for training courses to be officially recognised. Where they are delays in issuing certification numbers for persons who have achieved the required standard the hunting organisation must provide DAFM with a list of trained persons who are awaiting a certificate number. This list will be made available to veterinary inspectors with responsibility for AGHEs to enable them verify trained person’s status. The list will be updated upon 1) further persons attending the course and passing the exam, and 2) certificate numbers being assigned to trained persons.

Where the trained person is awaiting their certificate number, they should write their name and/or deer hunting licence number in the space provided on the trained person tag. This is linked to the information provided on the Intake Document.

Exceptional Circumstances

The hygiene package regulations make an allowance if no trained person is available to carry out the examination and sign a declaration due to rare and unforeseen circumstances the wild game can be presented to an AGHE. AGHE’s are to make an allowance within their Food Safety Management System for such occasions for the intake of wild game bodies not accompanied by a trained person’s declaration.

In such circumstances in the case of large wild game, the head and all the viscera except for the stomach and the intestines must accompany the body to the AGHE. Please note that in these circumstances these bodies will be ineligible for certain markets. Failure to provide all necessary body parts in the absence of a trained person’s declaration will result in condemnation of the wild game body.