The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) (Butchers Shops) Regulations 2000 Regulations required the annual licensing of retail butchers, mobile butcher shops and market stalls and food businesses handling both unwrapped raw meat together with other ready to eat foods from the same premises. However, on 1 January 2006 these regulations were repealed by the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2005 and a licence is no longer required.
The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 which subsequently replaced the 2005 regulations came into effect on 11 January 2006 implement several European regulations effecting all food businesses.
The new law includes a number of measures which were previously in the Butchers' shop licensing scheme, including the need to have food safety documents and records commensurate with the food operation to demonstrate how a food business operator ensures consumer safety based on 'HACCP' (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) principles.
