Meat regulations: The Meat Safety Act (Act 40 of 2000)

Subsequent to the publication of the proposed amendment to Schedule 1 of the Meat Safety Act (Act 40 of 2000) (find it here: Meat Safety Act: Schedule 1: Amendment: Comments invited (www.gov.za)), which includes a list of animals that fall within the scope of the Meat Safety Act, there may be some confusion about why certain endangered animals such as rhino are  included under the Act, which was open for comment until 28 April 2020. It is important to understand the regulations, and be aware of the analytical tools at our disposal.

The Meat Safety Act aims to fulfil the following scope: “To provide for measures to promote meat safety and the safety of animal products; to establish and maintain essential national standards in respect of abattoirs; to regulate the importation and exportation of meat; to establish meat safety schemes; and to provide for matters connected therewith.”

The Act also states the following:

“Prohibition of slaughter of animals at places other than abattoirs, and exemptions

1. No person may –
   • (a) slaughter any animal at any place other than an abattoir;
   • (b) permit the slaughter of any animal at any place under his or her control, unless the place is an abattoir; or
   • (c) sell or provide meat for human and animal consumption unless it has been slaughtered at an abattoir.
2. • (a) Subsection (1) does not apply to slaughter for own consumption or for cultural or religious purposes.
   • (b) No meat or animal product obtained from an animal slaughtered as contemplated in paragraph (a) may be sold to any person.”

Although the amendment covers animals such as rhino and giraffe, it also states: “This schedule includes animals that may be listed as threatened species in accordance with conservation provisions and therefore their slaughter for human and animal consumption must be in line with the relevant conservation provisions.” The amendment further states: “This Act also applies to all other species of animals not mentioned above including birds, fish and reptiles that may be slaughtered as food for human and animal consumption.”

This amendment – and the inclusion of wild animals – does not say there can be a ‘free-for-all’, or that everyone can consume rhino or giraffe at will. Rather, it says that if they are consumed for food purposes, certain controls must in place. Furthermore it prevents the illegal sale of these meats, and also states that conservation provisions must be upheld.

Read in isolation, it appears the Department is condoning the slaughter and sale of wild animals; but if you put it all into context, you’ll see that the Act actually further restricts the sale of these meats, giving more legal weight to the prosecution of persons who contravene it.

There is however a gap where the proposed amendment does not make reference to the specific conservation act(s). This could possibly be due to the fragmented and unclear picture draw by the Threatened or Protected Species regulations and other regulations under the scope of the Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004). The disconnect between departments and divisions within departments could potentially be detrimental if these gaps are not closed in a collaborative manner.

It has been suggested that targeting mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a great approach for determining the species present in a sample, or as a screening method to be used in conjunction with other methods. mtDNA has a very low limit of detection, as mitochondria are abundant in certain cells, and it is unlikely that processing will destroy a substantial proportion of the mtDNA.

FACTS offers a range of qualitative animal-species detection solutions, including DNA-based screening for species-specific detection in mixed-ingredient commodities, and DNA sequencing for species identification in single-species commodities. These mtDNA-based analyses can help detect the addition of undeclared animal species in a product, whether unintentionally present as a result of cross-contamination, or intentionally due to food adulteration.

See the list of animals currently under the Act, i.e., the only animals currently permitted to be slaughtered and processed for human consumption.

SCHEDULE 1 : ANIMALS TO WHICH THIS ACT APPLIES (Section 1(2))

Contact us for more information on the tests we offer to detect potential fraud and undeclared species, and to confirm the authenticity of meat and meat-related products.

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