Guidance

note
A
Compulsory rules apply for the labelling of fresh or frozen beef (including veal). Full details are given
in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Beef Labelling Guide. This is only
a summary; relevant paragraphs of this guidance have been referenced with each point. Some of the
requirements also apply to minced beef. However, meat products such as pies, sausages and
burgers, which contain other ingredients, are not covered by these requirements (Paragraph 4.1).

Beef origin labelling
All fresh and frozen beef (other than mince), including veal, offered for sale must be labelled with the
following indications (10):

1. Traceability reference number or code - a number which links the meat back through the cutting
plant/slaughterhouse to the animal, or group of animals, from which it came (10.2).

2. The country of birth of the animal, e.g. "Born: UK" (11.3).

3. All the countries in which the animal was fattened, e.g. "Reared in: UK" (11.4).

If the animal is born, raised and slaughtered in the same country, the label may, instead of
indications 2 and 3, state that country, e.g. "Origin: UK" (11.5).

4. "Slaughtered in: (the abbreviation SL can also be used as an alternative) [Name of Member
State or third country]" (10.3 & 13).

5. Approval number of slaughterhouse - this is the veterinary licence number which has been
allocated to the slaughterhouse premises and which appears on the health mark stamp, e.g.
"Slaughtered in: UK (1234)".

Note: Only one licence number must appear on the beef label. Therefore, beef from more than
one slaughterhouse must not be mixed to form a pack or batch (10.4).

6. "Cutting in: [Name of Member State or third country]" (10.5).

7. Licence number(s) of cutting plant(s) - this is the veterinary licence number that has been
allocated to the cutting plant, e.g. "Cutting in: UK (5678)". Where beef passes
through more than one cutting plant, all the licence numbers must be shown.
Where beef is cut in unlicensed premises, e.g. butchers, farm shops or other
shops, the address of the premises must be shown in place of the licence
number. Where the beef is cut and sold on the same unlicensed
premises, the indication may state "on these premises" (10.6).



Beef Labelling


















Minced Beef (see Paragraph 12 of the DEFRA Guide for further
details)
All minced beef must be labelled either with the above information or with:
traceability reference number or code;
country of slaughter;
"Minced in: [Country of mincing]", e.g. "Minced in: UK";
"Origin: [country]" if different from where prepared, e.g. "Origin: Ireland".

Note: Beef minced in the UK may be derived from animals slaughtered in more than one, but
not more than two, countries, for example "Origin: UK and Ireland" (12.3).

Method of labelling
Prepacked meat/mince
All prepacked beef must carry the required information on the packaging. If smaller packages are
grouped together and sold in a carton, the required information may be shown on the outer carton.

Examples of labels for prepacked meat/mince
Note: Compulsory information is shown in bold. Voluntary information requiring DEFRA approval is
shown in italics. (The other information is required by other labelling laws.)

Prepacked sirloin steak
British beef
08/07/00/324694/1 - (ref. no/code)
Sirloin Steak
Weight 600g
Price 3.00
Unit Price 5.00/kg
Grass-fed Aberdeen Angus
Slaughtered in: UK (1234)
Cut in: UK (5678)

Prepacked minced beef
British minced beef*
08/07/00/324694/1 - (ref. no./code)
Grass-fed
Weight 1 kg
Price 4.75
Minced in: UK
Slaughtered in: UK


* Where all animals from which the minced beef is derived have been born, raised and slaughtered
in the UK.




























Non-prepacked meat/mince (loose or prepacked on demand)
Information must be on the meat or displayed within the shop, for
example on a sign on the wall visible to your customers (see examples
below). The display area must ensure that the meat offered for sale is
distinguishable so that the customer can tell which information applies to
it.

Examples of labels for non-prepacked meat/mince (from 1st January 2002)
(These examples contain only compulsory labelling).

Non-packed meat
Tray:
Green Trays
Reference number /
Code:
MB 535 WB 14/08/00
Slaughtered in:
UK
Slaughterhouse licence
No:2345
Cut :

On these premises
Origin: UK


Non-packed minced beef

Tray:
Red Trays
Reference number / code:

HB 626-DN 5
Slaughtered in:

Ireland and UK
Minced:

UK
Origin: Ireland and UK

Are these legal requirements?
Yes. The requirements are given the force of law by the Beef Labelling (Enforcement)
(England) Regulations 2000. Failing to comply with these regulations is a criminal offence.

The maximum penalty on conviction is a fine of 5,000. An authorised officer may also serve
a notice on the person in possession of incorrectly labelled beef, requiring its removal from
sale until the beef is re-labelled in accordance with these requirements. Any person who fails
to comply with the provisions of a notice shall be guilty of an offence.




Voluntary labelling scheme (see Paragraph 15-19 of the DEFRA Guide
for further details)
The voluntary Beef Labelling Scheme, which has been in operation in the
UK since 1997, complements the above compulsory labelling.

The purpose of this EU scheme is to provide consumers with reliable information
about the beef they buy.

Retailers giving consumers anything more than the compulsory information about beef must
get prior approval from DEFRA.

Approval is given only if arrangements have been put in place to guarantee that the beef is
what the label says it is. To do this, an independent third party assessor must be employed
and a certificate of conformity issued.

Until January 2002, claims about origin, for example "UK/British", remained subject to
approval and verification under the Scheme. After that date, they became subject to the
compulsory Origin Labelling Scheme, explained above.

Labelling information, such as the following, requires approval under the Scheme (see
paragraph 16):

Region, for example English, local ;
Method of slaughter, for example kosher, halal;
Breed;
Date of slaughter;
Age;
Method or length of maturation; and
Method of production, for example grass-fed.

Note: DEFRA have indicated that the term 'British' may be used, without approval under this
Scheme, on beef for which all the compulsory origin indications are UK.

Further information, copies of the Beef Labelling Guide (BL1) and application forms for the
Beef Labelling Scheme are available from: Beef Labelling Section Helpline: telephone: 0207
238 3158; fax: 0207 238 3169.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Area 5E, 9 Millbank c/o Nobel
House 17 Smith Square London SW1P 3JR http://www.defra.gov.uk/


For more information or advice please contact:
Regulatory Services
Hanley Town Hall, Albion Street, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, ST1 1XP.
Tel: 01782 232065 Fax: 01782 236496
Email: regulatory.services@stoke.gov.uk Web: stoke.gov.uk