United Kingdom
Definition of home slaughter
Home slaughter means the slaughter of a livestock animal by the animal’s owner, on their property, for their own personal consumption or that of members of their immediate family living there.
Home slaughter does not take place in an approved slaughterhouse. Carcases or parts of carcases from home-slaughtered livestock, excluding those being disposed of as animal by-products, cannot be removed to another premises for processing.
Slaughter outside a licensed slaughterhouse
Home slaughter means the slaughter of a livestock animal by the animal’s owner, on their property, for their own personal consumption or that of members of their immediate family living there.
Home slaughter does not take place in an approved slaughterhouse. Carcases or parts of carcases from home-slaughtered livestock, excluding those being disposed of as animal by-products, cannot be removed to another premises for processing.
Can I slaughter the animals myself?
You may only do this if you have the necessary skills and training to ensure that you slaughter the animals humanely. Also you need to have the necessary equipment and be sure that you can use it competently.
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal.
The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations 2015 and Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing create offences for failing to comply with provisions relating to restraining, stunning and killing. Unless you are using a firearm to kill pigs, sheep, goats, deer or cattle, you must restrain them. The Regulations also make it an offence to cause or permit any avoidable excitement, pain or suffering to any animal or bird during the slaughter or killing process.
Under these Regulations, religious slaughter is only permitted in approved slaughterhouses, as all on-farm kills must be stunned before bleeding.
Disposal of the carcase and waste material
Animal by-products must be disposed of in accordance with the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013. This is all slaughter waste not destined for human consumption or classed as specified risk material (SRM), including the horns, hides, hooves and blood.
The routes available for the disposal and use of animal by-products vary with the category and are listed in articles 12, 13 and 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption (Animal by-products Regulation). In general, the higher the risk category the fewer are the options for use.
The owner must stain, store, dispose of, etc the SRM in accordance with the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (England) Regulations 2018. Definitions of SRM will depend on the age of the animal being slaughtered.
The spinal column must not be split. It must be removed whole and disposed of as SRM.
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United States (Florida)
Source: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AN316
WHICH SPECIES CAN BE SOLD?
Cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, or equine are defined by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) as “amenable livestock species.” This means the US government is accountable for the products from those species (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/fsis-content/internet/main/topics/rulemaking/federal-meat-inspection-act/federal-meat-inspection-act) (21 U.S.C. § 601–695).
Although technically amenable, no equine are currently being slaughtered under US federal inspection.
WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO SELL MEAT FROM MY LIVESTOCK?
One can start by selling a few animals as “freezer meat.”
USDA-FSIS describes this as the “custom exemption,” and it can happen in two ways: the owners of an animal (1) slaughter the animal themselves or (2) deliver it to a custom exempt slaughterhouse for slaughter and processing. The meat and by-products cannot be sold, and the products can only be consumed by the owner’s household and nonpaying guests and employees. In either case, having farm liability insurance is recommended.
WHAT IF SOMEONE WANTS TO SLAUGHTER LIVESTOCK I HAVE SOLD TO THEM ON MY FARM?
After the animal is sold to a customer, it is their property, and you can allow them to slaughter the livestock on your property. If this is an option you choose, you may want to make disposal of items such as the hide and offal the responsibility of your customer.
Note that it is not legal for the farmer to help with the on-farm slaughter in any way. If the farmer does assist, they would be viewed by USDA-FSIS as a custom exempt processing facility, which means that the farmer would be working out of compliance.
WHAT IS A CUSTOM PROCESSOR?
In general, a custom processor is exempted from a large percentage of FSIS inspection regulations because products cannot be resold and therefore pose a reduced risk to public health. The owners of the livestock pay custom processors to convert a meat animal into a meat product.
There are several federal and state recordkeeping requirements under this exemption, which are addressed in EDIS publication AN204, Custom and Retail Exempt Meat Processing (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an204).
Specifically, an FSIS directive gives the most updated requirements for custom exempt operations (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/fsis-directives/8160.1).
Individuals or establishments who only do custom processing and do not have any FDACS permits (e.g., a USDA Custom Exempt establishment) do not require FDACS inspection, and as such do not require a HACCP plan.
WHERE CAN I HAVE THIS DONE IN FLORIDA?
For an updated list of custom exempt facilities in Florida, see EDIS publication AN248, Custom Exempt Red Meat and/or Poultry Slaughter Facilities in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an248).
Several of the USDA-inspected facilities listed in EDIS publication AN203, USDA-Inspected Livestock Slaughter Facilities in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an203), provide custom slaughter.
DEMAND FOR MY LIVESTOCK IS GROWING, AND I AM CONSIDERING ESTABLISHING MY OWN CUSTOM EXEMPT LIVESTOCK PROCESSING FACILITY. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
You certainly can do this, and the UF/IFAS Meat Science Extension group can help you to establish a facility. However, there is no difference in building standards between a custom exempt facility, which only receives “periodic review” and whose products are “not for sale,” and a fully functional FSIS-inspected facility.
WHAT IF I WANTED TO START MY OWN USDA-FSIS-INSPECTED RED MEAT OR POULTRY PROCESSING FACILITY?
There are multiple regulations to meet at the local, state, and federal levels.
Generally, processors must have a facility that (1) has potable water, (2) has a viable wastewater plan, (3) meets “regulatory performance standards” (which primarily means all surfaces can be cleaned and sanitized), and (4) has a validated HACCP plan and approved labels.
Additionally, any ready-to-eat product manufactured under FSIS inspection must have a management plan for Listeria monocytogenes as described in https://www.fsis.usda.gov/guidelines/2014-0001.
THAT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION. WHAT DOES ALL OF THAT MEAN?
The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN; http://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/) has an excellent “How to Get Started” section addressing all facets of a start-up meat processing business.
Cornell University’s Guide to Direct Marketing Livestock and Poultry (http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/) is an excellent starting resource. Specifically, page 19 of that guide provides an excellent to-do list to establish a federally inspected facility.
The American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) website provides facility and equipment guidelines for federal inspection (https://www.ncagr.gov/MeatPoultry/pdf/Facility%20Guidelines.pdf).
I JUST WANT TO SELL MEAT FROM MY LIVESTOCK AT MY RETAIL STORE AND/OR AT A FARMERS’ MARKET. HOW CAN I DO THAT?
If your livestock are slaughtered under federal inspection, you can operate as a retail exempt facility. Retail exemption is described in detail in EDIS publication AN204, Custom and Retail Exempt Meat Processing (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an204).
Generally, you can sell meat piece-by-piece directly to the end-user from two storefronts without being under federal inspection. You can even sell a given amount of fresh or frozen meat to food service, but you cannot sell cured, cooked, or smoked product to food service. These products can only be sold to individual household consumers.
For more information on federal regulations of retail exempt operations, contact AAMP (http://www.aamp.com/regulations/regulatory-affairs/).
WHAT STATE OR LOCAL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET FOR ME TO OPERATE A RETAIL EXEMPT FACILITY?
A link to the state requirements for a retail store is on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) website (https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Food/Food-Establishments/Retail-Food-Establishment-Permit).
All facilities need:
- At least one employee who has been trained as a food manager (http://www.foodprotect.org/media/managercert/cfp-food-manager-certification-info-april-2020.pdf);
- To meet minimum construction and sanitation standards (https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/64038/file/food_establishment_minimum_construction_standards.PDF);
- To meet water and waste management standards (https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/23984/file/Water%20and%20Sewer%20Requirements%20for%20Food%20Permit%20and%20Initial%20Inspection.pdf); and
- A proper food permit, which will depend upon the kind of retail establishment the business would be defined as (https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/23977/file/food-permit-fees.pdf).
For instance, a facility defined as a “meat market” has an annual food permit fee of $455. Individual descriptions of all possible Florida retail food permits are online at https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=5K-4 (click on the Word document for the appropriate food permit, requirement, and fees).
Facilities that vacuum seal, include nitrite, smoke, and/or dehydrate for preservation must have an HACCP plan approved by FDACS. Additionally, an individual or establishment who is currently permitted with FDACS and would like to also do custom processing of meat must submit an HACCP plan with all supporting documentation, and obtain a Special Process Approval from FDACS before they may proceed. An example would be a retail store that wants to grind deer or custom slaughtered beef at the end of their normal processing day. An Industry Guidance fact sheet for FDACS-permitted custom processing may be found at https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/92253/file/Custom-Animal-Processing-at-Retail-Industry-Guidance.pdf.
FDACS-permitted individuals or establishments or those seeking a permit may send all custom processing requests to RetailHACCPspa@fdacs.gov.
Additionally, any facility that is permitted by FDACS and would like to process wild game (most often deer or feral pigs) or on-farm slaughtered livestock must also have an HACCP plan (http://www.foodprotect.org/issues/packets/2010Packet/attachments/III_019_a.pdf). This is associated with Rule 5K-4.0050. The application that must accompany your completed HACCP plan can be found at http://forms.freshfromflorida.com/14095.pdf.
WHAT ARE THE REGULATIONS ABOUT TEMPERATURE CONTROL AND RECEIVING PERISHABLE GOODS?
The FDA food code requires refrigerated foods to be held at or below 41°F, so you should document the temperature of all perishable goods at receiving. Recording temperatures are required if you are using reduced oxygen packaging or other specialized processes that require an HACCP plan.
I NEED ALL THAT JUST FOR MY RETAIL MEAT MARKET?
Yes, and you will need a mobile vendor permit to be able to sell meat at a farmers’ market (https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Food/Food-Establishments/Mobile-Food-Vendors).
WHAT IF I WANT TO DISTRIBUTE MY PRODUCTS AT MULTIPLE RETAIL STORES OR IF I WANT TO MARKET THE MAJORITY OF MY PRODUCTS TO FOOD SERVICE?
Those products must be made entirely under USDA-FSIS inspection. Products that bear a stamp of inspection and an approved label have no restrictions as to where they can be marketed domestically.
All of your products will need to have a label approved by FSIS (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/FSIS_7234-1_Approval_of_Labels.pdf). Additional guidance on labeling is available at https://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/product-labeling/.
Establishments defined as “small businesses” are not required to have a nutrition label. A small business is any single-plant facility or multi-plant company or firm that employs 500 or fewer people and produces no more than 100,000 pounds of the product per year.
If you do not own and operate your own facility, finding a USDA-inspected facility willing to work with you can be a stumbling block. For a list of inspected facilities in Florida, see EDIS publication AN203, USDA-Inspected Livestock Slaughter Facilities in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an203).
I RAISE POULTRY, BUT NO RED MEAT ANIMALS. IS IT ALL THE SAME?
Collectively, the steps to market poultry meat are similar to the steps for red meat, but poultry is under the Poultry Products Inspection Act, not the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, squab, guinea fowl, and/or ratites (emu, rhea, and ostrich) are recognized by USDA-FSIS as “amenable poultry” in 9 CFR § 381.1 (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2005-title9-vol2/pdf/CFR-2005-title9-vol2-chapIII-subchapA.pdf).
For the remainder of the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. § 451–472), visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/rulemaking/poultry-products-inspection-acts.
I DO NOT HAVE MANY POULTRY, BUT I WANT TO SELL MEAT FROM MY BIRDS. WHAT CAN I DO?
Florida recently developed a permit for small Florida poultry producers. FDACS has an excellent Frequently Asked Questions guide to address this new permit that utilizes the USDA’s 20,000-bird exemption (https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/64357/file/Limited_Poultry_and_Egg_Operation_Requirements.pdf).
Additionally, Florida producers with a Limited Poultry and Egg permit can sell products directly to food service for the preparation of meals sold to customers.
A few custom exempt and smaller-scale inspected poultry slaughter facilities exist in Florida: Sealy’s Ark in Dunnellon; Zabahi Meat and Poultry in Orlando; Eddie’s Duck & Poultry and Musa Slaughter House in Tampa; Sonshine Poultry in Haines City; and Gray’s & Danny’s in Moore Haven. More information can be found at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an248.
If you slaughter more than 20,000 birds per year or more than 384 birds in one week, or if you process purchased poultry for resale in more than one other retail front, these operations are not exempt and must be conducted under USDA-FSIS inspection.
This publication has focused on state and federal regulations, but be sure to check with local, city, or county government before you begin a new project or construction.
RESOURCES
The federal statutes cited for red meat are most easily accessed at this website browsing by title and chapter: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/inspection-programs/inspection-meat-products.
Federal statutes cited for poultry can be accessed at this website: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/rulemaking/poultry-products-inspection-acts.
Most of the state regulations cited are most easily accessed at this website: https://www.fdacs.gov/Business-Services/Food/Food-Establishments.
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So you want to build a slaughter plant?
In light of the recent increase in retail beef prices and decrease in cattle prices, many cattle producers have expressed interest in starting up small beef processing facilities that do not undercut the rancher and provide consistent prices for consumers. Davey Griffin, Texas A&M professor and Extension meat scientist, said he has been amazed at the number of producers looking into this option.
“It is just astronomical the number of inquiries we’re getting about starting a plant, getting these cattle through the system and just serving customers as well,” he said.
However, starting a meat processing facility is not without hoops to jump through, including multiple layers of government oversight and health regulations.
“One of the things that makes the U.S. system the safest system in the world in terms of food safety is our inspection service that started back in 1906 with the Federal Meat Inspection Act,” Griffin said. “The 1967 Wholesome Meat Act amended the 1906 act and included state inspections.”
Griffin said plants can fall under four inspection regulations. For a federally inspected plant, the facility must have functioning Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures to make sure the plant is clean and able to produce healthy and safe products before an animal ever enters the facility. He said it also must have a functioning Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan. Federally inspected plants inspect livestock antemortem, during slaughter and postmortem.
State inspected plants operate under a cooperative agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. States’ program must enforce requirements “at least equal to” those imposed under the Federal Meat and Poultry Products Inspection Acts and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978. Griffin described state-inspected plants as at more of a localized level than federally inspected plants. Additionally, products produced under state inspection are limited to intrastate commerce, unless a state opts into an additional cooperative program, like the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program.
Griffin pointed out that not every state has a state inspection program. A little more than half do, some of those states include: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma. Some plants process meat and poultry and some just process meat. In the event your state does not have a state program, the plant has to be federally inspected.
Another type of plant is called custom exempt. Griffin said a custom exempt operator slaughters livestock belonging to someone else and processes the carcasses and parts for exclusive use of the owner, members of the owner’s household, non-paying guests and household employees. It cannot be sold or donated to a charity or a food bank. Griffin said custom exempt operators often process game meat, so they are usually busy during hunting season.
“It’s a way that you can be in the business and harvest animals for someone else,” Griffin explained.
Read more
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How to Butcher a Homestead-Raised Hog
Leading your hogs to slaughter isn’t as difficult as you might think. This article shows how to butcher a homestead-raised hog, read how one enterprising pork farmer combines experience and know-how in an old-fashioned hog slaughter.
Raising and harvesting a hog is a practical way to put nourishing food on the family table while taking an important step toward self-sufficiency . . . and away from artificially inflated supermarket prices and hormone-gorged meat. Nor is butchering your own swine all that hard to do. In fact, with a little preparation and common sense, you can make sure that the animal doesn’t suffer, that the slaughtering goes smoothly, and that the entire operation ( not including chilling and sectioning) takes only two or three hours.
It should be pretty obvious that rearing and slaughtering your own pigs can guarantee quality pork on your table. Furthermore, many do-it-yourself meat processors feel that killing and preparing an animal can serve to remind a consumer that some of the food he or she eats was once a flesh-and-blood creature and didn’t come into this world as a tidy, prepackaged chop. And whether or not you think that factor is important, there’s no doubt that learning how to butcher a homestead-raised hog is a good way to save money and add to your self-reliance skills.
PICKING YOUR PORK
Let’s assume that you’ve raised a pig and that the porker is now about the right size (175 to 250 pounds) and age (8 to 10 months) for butchering. (Overly fat or old swine don’t usually make for good eating.) Generally, a barrow (a male hog that’s been castrated before reaching sexual maturity) or a gilt (a young female) is the best candidate for table fare. Boars (uncastrated males) and sows (adult females) in heat should be avoided at butchering time, since their flesh tends to have an unpleasant undertaste often described as “musky” or “rank”. (If you do wish to harvest such an animal, be sure to geld the boar and allow the wound to heal first . . . or wait until the female goes out of heat.)
When you’ve selected your animal, it’s time to lead the ham to slaughter. The remainder of this article has been arranged sequentially . . . in an effort to present a thorough, step-by-step guide for the novice hog processor.
HOG BUTCHERING EQUIPMENT
It’s important to assemble your equipment before you begin the task. There are few experiences more likely to ruin your first slaughtering efforts than having to search frantically for a needed tool when you’re halfway through the job. As an absolute minimum, you’ll need a good knife that’s suitable for sticking and gutting . . . a sharpening stone … bell scrapers for removing the hair and scurf (these specialized and relatively inexpensive devices are well worth a trip to your farm supply store) . . . a hot water thermometer . . . a large tub or vat for scalding the pig . . . and a butcher’s saw or a hacksaw.
To stun the animal before sticking it, you’ll also need a pistol or rifle of a .22 caliber or larger (or — at the very least — a heavy hammer). You’ll also want a sturdy table or platform to support the carcass during scraping, and a tub to catch the viscera when the animal is gutted.
A sharp knife will be all but invaluable at every stage. Its blade should be at least six inches long and honed to a razor’s edge. And to insure that the whole operation goes as smoothly, keep a sharpening stone handy and draw the steel across it occasionally as you work . . . the job will be easier, and you’ll be less likely to cut yourself.
Read more
Books
Adam Danforth is the James Beard award-winning author of two books, published by Storey Publishing, about slaughtering and butchering livestock. Adam trained at the professional meat processing program at SUNY Cobleskill, one of the only such programs in the United States, before going to work at Marlow and Daughters and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, both in New York. He leads experiential workshops worldwide on butchery and meat science for venues such as Stone Barns Center for Agriculture, the James Beard Foundation Chefs Boot Camp, Google, and the National Bison Association. Adam also consults and provides education to restaurants including Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Bazaar Meat, The Perennial, and Maude. He is the American ambassador for the Butchers Manifesto and a board member of the Chefs Collaborative and the Good Meat Project. Adam lives in Ashland, Oregon, USA.
The space, setup, and equipment required to raise and process poultry are minimal when compared to other types of livestock, which is part of what makes chickens such an appealing choice for small-scale meat producers. Expert butcher and teacher Adam Danforth covers the entire slaughtering and butchering process in this photographic guide specifically geared toward backyard chicken keepers and small-farm operations invested in raising meat responsibly. With step-by-step photos, detailed instructions, and chapters dedicated to necessary tools and equipment, essential food safety measures, how to prepare for slaughter and process the birds quickly and humanely, how to break down the carcasses into cuts, and how to package and freeze the cuts to ensure freshness, this comprehensive handbook gives poultry raisers the information they need to make the most of their meat.
Slaughter and butcher your own animals safely and humanely with this award-winning guide. Providing detailed photography of every step of the process, Adam Danforth shows you everything you need to know to butcher poultry, rabbit, lamb, goat, and pork. Learn how to create the proper slaughtering conditions, break the meat down, and produce flavorful cuts of meat. Stressing proper food safety at all times, Danforth provides expert advice on necessary tools and helpful tips on freezing and packaging. Enjoy the delicious satisfaction that comes with butchering your own meat.
Learn how to humanely slaughter cattle and butcher your own beef. In this straightforward guide, Adam Danforth provides clear instructions and step-by-step photography of the entire butchering process, from creating the right preslaughter conditions through killing, skinning, keeping cold, breaking the meat down, and perfecting expert cuts. With plenty of encouragement and expert advice on food safety, packaging, and necessary equipment, this comprehensive guide has all the information you need to start butchering your own beef.
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The Good Meat Project
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodmeatproject/
We envision a thoughtful, conscientious culture of meat consumption that supports an ecologically sound, economically viable, responsible system of meat production, with the capacity to improve our environment, as well as the lives of animals and the people who produce and eat them for food.
Our Approach
We believe the key to changing our meat production system and our culture of meat consumption, is education, or, rather, re-education. By teaching everyone along the food supply chain—from consumers to chefs, butchers, and farmers—how to bring local, humane, responsible meat to the table, the Good Meat™ Project supports thriving, resilient, regional economies of meat production and consumption. The Good Meat Project partners and collaborates with a diverse network of experts, organizations, and businesses from across the globe who are excited to share their knowledge with each other and with others. By sharing knowledge, building coalitions, and empowering change makers, the Good Meat Project inspires everyone along the meat supply chain to help build healthy, resilient, responsible, regional meat production systems.
Videos (warning – graphic content in these videos)
New Zealand
Homekill Pig Slaughter – outside contractor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9Zsqo9K3w
Sweden
USA
We are Gordon and Isabella from Hale Family Homestead in northeast Florida. We are so glad to have you tag along on our journey to farm life. We feel the traditional farming style Is so important in todays world. We apologize that the packaging was not shown step by step, our camera ran out of storage and we did not realize it until it was too late. We can make another video on just packaging if you need help with that. Today we will show you have to butcher a Cornish cross chicken from start to finish.
Other
The art of butchery:
Scott Rea:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheScottReaproject/videos
The Bearded Butchers:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0r6S4hmYdRcDnw7zey7Myg
