Veterinary Services

Currently Waterford City and County Council employs one wholetime veterinary inspector and three part-time veterinary inspectors.

The part-time veterinary inspectors carry out ante and post-mortem meat inspection and stamping duties in the three butcher's abattoirs in Waterford City and County which are under local authority supervision. The wholetime veterinary inspector oversees general conditions of hygiene and operational/structural matters in the abattoirs as well as being involved in the approval of low-throughput abattoirs and low-throughput meat processing plants under the EU (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 432 of 2009).

Seven small stand-alone meat processing premises and two small poultry slaughtering premises across Waterford city and county are supervised and inspected by the fulltime veterinary inspector under the same legislation.

The wholetime veterinary inspector also provides technical assistance to the Environment and Planning sections of Waterford City & County Council and to the Area Engineers and overseers in relation to the disposal of slaughter, tannery and other animal waste. Assistance is also given in relation to the disposal of animal carcases and updates to staff in these areas in relation to new developments in BSE controls and other relevant matters.

Waterford City & County Council is contracted to provide inspection services for low throughput abattoirs and meat processing plants on behalf of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.