Deadline extended to 30 June 2020 – proposed amendment to the list of animals to which the Meat Safety Act applies
21 April 2020
On 28 February 2020 the Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform published for comment an extensive amendment to Schedule 1 to the Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000. The period for comment on the proposed amendment was subsequently extended to 30 June 2020.
Schedule 1 provides a list of animal species to which the Meat Safety Act applies. The Act aims 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 and to establish meat safety schemes.
Section 7 of the Meat Safety Act prohibits the slaughter of animals at places other than abattoires, as well as the sale or provision of meat for human consumption unless it has been saughtered at an abattoir. This prohibition does not apply to slaughter for own consumption or for cultural or religious purposes.
Schedule 1 currently provides as follows:
ANIMALS TO WHICH THIS ACT APPLIES
Domesticated Animals
- Bovine animals (including the species bubalus bubalis and bison bison)
- Donkey
- Duck
- Farmed deer
- Fowl
- Goat
- Goose
- Guineafowl
- Horse
- Kangaroo
- Mule
- Ostrich and other related ratite species
- Partridge
- Pheasant
- Pig
- Pigeon
- Quail
- Rabbit
- Sheep
- Turkey
Wild Game
- Blesbuck (Damaliscus dorcas philipsi)
- Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
- Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)
- Burchell’s zebra (Equus burchelli)
- Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
- Eland (Taurotragus oryx)
- Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
- Gemsbuck (Oryx gazela)
- Gray Rhebok (Pelea capreolus)
- Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
- Impala (Aepyceros melampus)
- Kudu (Tragelaphus stepsiceros)
- Mountain Reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula)
- Springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis)
- Zebra (Diplodus trifasciatus)