Can a customer slaughter an animal on my farm?
Producers who sell live animals directly off their farm may encounter customers
interested in having the animal slaughtered on the farm. Customers with this request often have
traditional or religious backgrounds that require special slaughter methods for the meat they consume.
This situation more often occurs with the sale of goats and lambs, but may occur with other species
as well.
There are several regulations that a producer should know and understand concerning
on-farm slaughter. First, a producer cannot legally harvest and/or process an animal for a customer’s
use. Slaughter by a producer for the customer would be considered a “custom” slaughter activity.
Custom slaughter must occur in the necessary facilities such as a local meat locker. Custom slaughter facilities
must comply with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) regulations for custom slaughter including
the federal Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs†) as outlined by the
Food and Drug Administration.
When it comes to whether a customer can legally harvest the animal on the farm,
no TDA regulations related to slaughter or inspection exist. The producer will still need to determine
how to appropriately dispose of offal, being sure to comply with environmental regulations. Other issues
may arise pertaining to the product and landowner liability. Producers should understand that they may
be taking on additional liability risk in the event of an injury to a customer during the harvest
process or sickness of the customer due to consumption of the meat product.
For more information on your particular situation, you are encouraged to contact the
Food and Dairy Administrator at (615) 837-5177 or the Food Manufacturing Administrator at (615) 837-5534.
You may be able to obtain additional information by contacting TDA Regulatory
Services Division at the address below.
Food Manufacturing Administrator (or Food and Dairy Administrator)
Regulatory Services Division
Ellington Agricultural Center
Box 40627, Melrose Station
Nashville, TN 37204
http://tennessee.gov/agriculture/regulate/contact.html
†Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) as defined by the Food and Drug Administration in 21 CFR part 110 are the minimum sanitary and processing requirements for food companies.
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