Retained EU Law 2004 United Kingdom

Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 (Hygiene rules for food of animal origin)

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At a glance

What's here

8 compliance obligations, 3 practical guides · 1 journey

Penalty landscape

1 of 8 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 7 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Operator 7

Plus 1 non-business duty on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

2 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Operators also bound by 125 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

s.003

General obligations

  • Use only water or approved substances to clean animal products Operator
s.007

Documents

  • Ensure products of animal origin are accompanied by proper documents Operator
s.requirements concerning several products of animal

REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING SEVERAL PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

  • Apply identification marks to products of animal origin Operator
s.specific requirements

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

  • Maintain hygiene and welfare standards in slaughterhouses and cutting plants Operator
Browse 11 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.definitions

DEFINITIONS

s.exercise of the delegation

Exercise of the delegation

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

FSA

Primary

Food Standards Agency

Food safety and hygiene regulation across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Enforces food law, provides guidance to food businesses, investigates incidents. Approves …

Food Standards Scotland

Food safety and standards in Scotland. Independent public body with similar remit to FSA but for Scotland specifically. Administers Food Hygiene Information …

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

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Regulators

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