2 Participation in the BMPA Quality Pork Charter

One of the core requirements of the BMPA Quality Pork Charter is that all participants shall be compliant with current EU and UK food standards, hygiene and animal welfare legislation and their associated codes of practice.

Auditable

2.1.1 All new applicants and Charter participants shall hold a valid certificate of conformity (minimum Grade B) against the current version of the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRC GFS) that shall cover the scope of the operational activities relevant to the Quality Pork Charter and its module(s) and take into account any seasonal lines e.g. pigs in blankets or pancetta that the Charter member or applicant is being assessed against. 

In the case of composite products, e.g. pigs in blankets, each product component i.e. the bacon and the sausage shall be certified against the appropriate pork module. The site at which the composite product is being produced shall have current certification against one of the pork modules. 

Auditable

2.1.2 All new applicants and Charter participants shall inform their BMPA Quality Pork Charter service provider if an external cold store is in use.Where an external cold store is not subject to a BRC GFS audit, the facility shall be accredited against the current version of the BRC Global Standard for Storage and Distribution and the scope of certification shall reflect the activities of the site.

2.1.3 The Charter applicant and participant shall give consent to their BRC status and audit reports being made available to the BMPA through the BRC.

2.1.4 Where a Charter participant’s BRC GFS certification falls below Grade B, is suspended or withdrawn, the participant shall inform the BMPA Technical Policy Manager and provide details of the areas of non-conformance so that the PTAC can decide the appropriate action to be taken in accordance with BMPA Quality Pork Charter rules and procedures.

Participation in the BMPA Quality Pork Charter is open to all abattoirs, cutting plants and further pork processors however, only those that are independently approved by the BMPA for compliance with the requirement of the pork modules shall be certified to the BMPA Quality Pork Charter. There is no obligation for participants to become a member of the BMPA trade association.

2.3.1 Only products listed on the Charter participants’ BMPA Quality Pork Charter certificate of conformity shall be recognised as being compliant to the BMPA Quality Pork Charter requirements and may therefore display the appropriate Red Tractor logo on pack. It is the responsibility of the Certification Body to ensure that the information supplied by the Charter participant meets the requirements of the BMPA Charter. The signing off for new products will not be carried out at the participating site on the day of an audit. 

Auditable

2.3.2 Charter participants who choose to display the Red Tractor logo on their packaging shall be registered for a licence through Red Tractor Assurance prior to applying the logo and where the logo is applied to any new products the licence shall be updated accordingly.

The BMPA in collaboration with AHDB Pork shall use stable isotope reference analysis (SIRA) testing to periodically verify if the pork used in the Quality Pork Charter is British.

• SIRA Sampling Protocol for BQAP Pork and Bacon
• SIRA Sampling Protocol for BQAP Ham and Sausage

Non-eligible material shall be defined as:

2.4.1 Pork raw material from pigs that have not met the requirements of the BMPA Pig Welfare, Slaughter and Biosecurity module (i.e. pigs that are not born and reared for their lifetime on an assured farm that is certified by Red Tractor, Quality Meat Scotland Pigs or an equivalent farm assurance scheme recognised by the BMPA) 

2.4.2 Boars which have a slaughter dead weight of more than 110kg.

2.4.3 Sows may only be used for the manufacture of comminute meat preparations approved by the BMPA Quality Pork Charter, providing that the pork complies with all aspects of the BQAP product quality standards with the exception of the P2 measurement. 

Sow raw material shall not be used for BQAP unless it is intended for the manufacture of processed pork meat products approved within Modules 3 (Bacon & Gammon), Module 4 (Ham & Cooked Pork) and/or Module 5 (Pork Sausage) of the BMPA Quality Pork Charter. For clarification of raw materials please refer to the Charter rules for accredited supply.

Any other use is not permitted within the BMPA Quality Pork Charter.

2.4.4 Pork raw material processed under the Red Tractor or Quality Meat Scotland pork schemes can be used