Dear Friend,
We are very happy to introduce our newly updated meat map located HERE on our website! The map, and accompanying chart of regulations by state, have long been useful resources for our members, readers, and contributors, but some retooling was in order to more accurately reflect the current status of the custom slaughter facility laws around the country.
As you may know, federal law requires that meat intended to be sold for human consumption must be processed at a USDA or state-run processing facility where regular inspections occur. However, there is a personal use exemption and a federal custom slaughter facility exemption from the inspection requirement. The custom exemption involves a custom exempt operator that slaughters livestock for another owner and the resulting product may only be used by the owner, his/her household, and nonpaying guests and employees. Each state may further regulate this federal exemption, and our tools offer a synopsis of these state-by-state regulations, and seek to clear up any confusion about whether, and by whom, on-farm slaughter before transport to a custom facility is allowed.
In addition, the state-by-state chart addresses the regulations regarding the personal use exemption that allows a livestock producer (i.e., the owner who raised the animal), or a new owner (i.e., the purchaser of a live animal, or portion of a live animal, the person did not raise) to slaughter and process animals for his/her/their household, and their nonpaying guests’ and employees’ own use.
We encourage you to visit our website and review the map, state-by-state chart of laws, and accompanying details to better understand the rules that apply to you and your operations. While we could not address every nuance of the laws in these tools, as always, we stand ready to assist our members with any questions you may have that are not addressed in these resources.
Also, be on the lookout for a members-only webinar in the near future in which we will discuss these resources and the implications of the meat slaughter and processing laws in more detail.
Thank you as always for your support of our organization and your ongoing partnership with us to improve our food system!
In good health,
Alexia Kulwiec Executive Director |
