Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001 (WA)

Western Australia

Environmental Protection Act 1986

Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001

Western Australia

Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001 ContentsPart 1 — Preliminary1. Citation 12. Interpretation 13. Application 2Part 2 — Control of dust4. No emission of visible dust from abattoirs during operation or construction 3Part 3 — Disposal of dead animals5. Disposal of dead animals 4Part 4 — Drainage and the collection of waste materials6. Design of lairage pens, raceways, and solid waste storage areas 57. Drainage or discharge from a slaughterhouse 58. Drainage of floors of bleeding area 59. Storage of waste material 5Part 5 — Waste water treatment10. Uncontaminated storm water not to enter waste water treatment system 711. Treatment of contaminated water from lairage pens 712. Disposal of solids 713. Waste water treatment structures 714. Treated waste water irrigation management plan 8Part 6 — Miscellaneous15. Offences and penalties 916. Transitional 917. Amendment of the Environmental Protection Regulations 1987 9NotesCompilation table — Compilation tableDefined terms Environmental Protection Act 1986

Environmental Protection Act 1986

Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001

Part 1 – Preliminary1.Citation

These regulations may be cited as the Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001.

2.Interpretation

In these regulations unless the contrary intention appears —

abattoir, in relation to an operator, means an abattoir to which these regulations apply at which the operator slaughters animals;

bucket trap means a device used to collect solids in a waste water treatment system;

containment structure means a structure in a waste water treatment system in which waste water is contained;

existing facility means any premises being used as an abattoir immediately before the day on which these regulations come into operation;

operator means a person who operates an abattoir;

save-all means a tank where greases and oils are collected by settlement or flotation;

slaughterhouse means any building on an abattoir in which animals are slaughtered;

treated waste water means water that has been treated in a waste water treatment system;

treated waste water irrigation management plan means a treated waste water irrigation management plan approved under regulation 14;

waste water treatment system means the system used for treating waste water from the operations of an abattoir.

3.Application

These regulations apply to an abattoir if the production or design capacity of the abattoir is —

• (a)

  more than 100 tonnes per year; and

• (b)

  less than 1 000 tonnes per year.

[Regulation 3 inserted: Gazette 8 May 2012 p. 1892.]

Part 2 – Control of dust4.No emission of visible dust from abattoirs during operation or construction

• (1)

  An operator must not carry on the operations of an abattoir unless it is carried on in such a manner that no visible dust escapes from the abattoir.

• (2)

  A person constructing an abattoir must ensure that no visible dust escapes from the premises on which the abattoir is being constructed during the course of the construction.

Part 3 – Disposal of dead animals5.Disposal of dead animals

Unless otherwise directed by a public body under a written law, an operator must ensure that any dead animal on the abattoir that has not been slaughtered on it is within 24 hours after the operator becoming aware of its death —

• (a)

  taken to a rendering facility;

• (b)

  taken to a waste disposal facility; or

• (c)

  disposed of in a manner approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

Part 4 – Drainage and the collection of waste materials6.Design of lairage pens, raceways, and solid waste storage areas

An operator must ensure that waste water from —

• (a)

  lairage pens at the abattoir;

• (b)

  raceways from a lairage pen to a slaughterhouse at the abattoir; or

• (c)

  a solid waste storage area at the abattoir,

is drained to the waste water treatment system.

7.Drainage or discharge from a slaughterhouse

• (1)

  An operator must ensure that the drainage system from the slaughterhouse at the abattoir to the waste water treatment system does not become blocked with solids.

• (2)

  An operator must ensure that water from the floors of the slaughterhouse is treated by means of a bucket trap, save-all, screen, or other device to remove solids, greases, and oils in or from the water before the water is discharged into the waste water treatment system.

8.Drainage of floors of bleeding area

The owner of an abattoir to which these regulations apply (other than an existing facility) must ensure that the perimeter of the floor of the bleeding area of a slaughterhouse is constructed so as to ensure that blood or other liquid is removed from the area by drains or dedicated collection devices.

9.Storage of waste material

An operator must ensure that —

• (a)

  material from the paunch of animals slaughtered at the abattoir is stored in water and vermin proof and water tight containers; and

• (b)

  dung and manure storage areas are made of an impervious material and have bunds made of an impervious material which are of sufficient height to contain the leachate.

Part 5 – Waste water treatment10.Uncontaminated storm water not to enter waste water treatment system

An operator must ensure that storm water on the abattoir which is not contaminated with solids, grease, oils, or other materials from the process of slaughtering animals does not enter the waste water treatment system.

11.Treatment of contaminated water from lairage pens

An operator must ensure that water from the lairage pens of the abattoir is screened or otherwise treated to remove solids in the water before the water is discharged into the waste water treatment system.

12.Disposal of solids

An operator must ensure that all solid waste from the operations at the abattoir is taken to —

• (a)

  a rendering facility;

• (b)

  premises on which compost manufacturing and soil blending is carried out;

• (c)

  a waste disposal facility; or

• (d)

  a disposal facility approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

13.Waste water treatment structures

An operator must ensure that —

• (a)

  except in the case of an existing facility, a containment structure at the abattoir is impermeable;

• (b)

  a containment structure at the abattoir is operated so that there is a distance of not less than 300 mm between any point on the perimeter of the top of the structure and the surface of the water in the structure;

• (c)

  a crust or cover is maintained over an anaerobic treatment process used in a waste water treatment system;

• (d)

  in the case of a waste water treatment system which uses a pond, waste water is retained in the pond for not less than 15 days; and

• (e)

  the waste water treatment system is managed so as to ensure that an unreasonable odour does not escape from the abattoir.

14.Treated waste water irrigation management plan

An operator must not use treated waste water for irrigation unless a treated waste water irrigation management plan has been submitted to and approved by the Chief Executive Officer and the treated waste water is used in accordance with the plan.

Part 6 – Miscellaneous15.Offences and penalties

A person who contravenes any of these regulations commits an offence.

Penalty: $5 000.

16.Transitional

Regulation 14 does not apply in relation to an existing facility until the day that is 12 months after the day on which these regulations come into operation.

17.Amendment of the Environmental Protection Regulations 1987

Schedule 6 to the Environmental Protection Regulations 1987 is amended after item 25 of the entry relating to the Environmental Protection (Concrete Batching and Cement Product Manufacturing) Regulations 1998 by inserting the following —

“

Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001
1.     regulation 4(1)	250	500
2.     regulation 4(2)	250	500
3.     regulation 5	250	500
4.     regulation 7(1)	250	500
5.     regulation 9	250	500
6.     regulation 12	250	500
7.     regulation 13	250	500
8.     regulation 14	250	500

”.

Notes

1 This is a compilation of the Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001 and includes the amendments referred to in the following Table.

Compilation table

Citation	Gazettal	Commencement
Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Regulations 2001	30 Mar 2001 p. 1799-1810	30 Mar 2001
Environmental Protection (Abattoirs) Amendment Regulations 2012	8 May 2012 p. 1891-2	r. 1 and 2: 8 May 2012 (see r. 2(a)); Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 9 May 2012 (see r. 2(b))

Defined terms

[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]

Defined term Provision(s)

abattoir............................................................................................................................... 2

bucket trap......................................................................................................................... 2

containment structure...................................................................................................... 2

existing facility.................................................................................................................. 2

operator.............................................................................................................................. 2

save-all............................................................................................................................... 2

slaughterhouse................................................................................................................. 2

treated waste water........................................................................................................... 2

treated waste water irrigation management plan.......................................................... 2

waste water treatment system......................................................................................... 2