New Guidance for Hunters Supplying Wild Game
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today published new guidance on the hunting and processing wild game for human consumption. Under European and Irish law, people who hunt or shoot wild game with the intention of supplying to consumers are considered food businesses and they need to ensure that they meet food safety and hygiene requirements. The Guidance on Hunting and Processing of Wild Game for Human Consumption is available on www.fsai.ie and it will assist people who hunt, shoot or process wild game to understand their legal obligations in this area. It also outlines the responsibility of retail and wholesale premises, including restaurants and hotels accepting wild game meat and their obligations to ensure it is sourced from registered or approved suppliers.
According to Prof. Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI hunters are considered primary producers and if they supply large or small wild game such as deer and rabbits or wild game birds for commercial consumption, they must abide by food safety legislation. If however, they are hunting and shooting game for personal consumption and as such, they are not supplying anyone else as part of a commercial arrangement, then the legislation does not impact them. The legislation is seeking to protect consumers who purchase wild game products and aims to ensure that the best hygiene and food safety practices are adhered to under the law.
The FSAI advises that individuals hunting alone or as part of a hunting party have a legal obligation to ensure they abide by the relevant regulations. These include that hunters placing wild game on the market for human consumption be registered with the appropriate competent authority (i.e. local authority); have adequate traceability records; cold store facilities and transport and ensure that the wild game supplied has undergone an examination by a trained hunter. All wild game presented to approved game handling establishments must be accompanied by a signed "Trained Hunter Declaration". The FSAI stresses that this obligation covers both small wild game (i.e. rabbits/hares, game birds) and large wild game (i.e. deer).
“When wild game is shot, hunters are allowed to do necessary preparation that would be considered part of normal hunting practice before placing the game into the food chain. This includes killing and where appropriate, bleeding and removing the stomach and intestines of the animal. This would in most circumstances be carried out in the field or in a game larder, where the game product is stored. This is the limit of preparation that is permitted. A trained hunter can further examine the animal for any abnormal characteristics and/or contamination. In effect it means that if an individual or a hunting party is shooting with the intention to supply the wild game into the food chain they must have a trained hunter in attendance,” says Prof. Reilly. “The wild game is then transported to an approved game handling establishment, where the game is inspected by an official veterinarian to provide additional assurance that food safety is not compromised.”
The FSAI states that hazards associated with the consumption of wild game mainly involve disease causing bacteria, but can also include chemical or physical hazards. Management and control of risks must involve all elements of the food chain including the hunting community. Healthy wild game have potential to carry bacteria that can cause illness in humans. These include Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., and E. coli O157. Whilst most of these bacteria are killed through thorough cooking, there is potential during handling for cross contamination where the bacteria can spread to other foodstuffs.
For further information and details of hunter organisations providing officially recognised training courses, visit the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s website at www.agriculture.gov.ie/gamemeat.
Report: Guidance on Hunting and Processing of Wild Game for Human Consumption