Abattoirs, do you legally have to use them?

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Abattoirs, do you legally have to use them?
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Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 05 3:03 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Oh, are rabbits classified as poultry? I can't see an abattoir being very chuffed if you turned up with half a dozen bunnies.

Or fish!

More seriously what about all the semi-wild food? What if someone farms venison or boar would they have to catch that and then get an abbatoir to deal with it? Asking an abbatoir to dispatch a brace of bunnies would be ridiculous and farcical but asking them to handle a wild (in fact probably not so much wild as livid) boar would be downright dangerous.

Presumably they also ignored the fact that its completely inconsistent with good handling practice for game and wild food?

Oh well just another example of braindead government run by people who's knowledge of nature owes more to disney than reality.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 05 3:07 pm Post subject:

The regulations in Wales are as follows:

Quote:

11. As far as private slaughter is concerned, the EU TSE controls apply to the extent provided for by Regulation 999/2001. That Regulation applies not only when a sale of meat for human consumption takes place, but also where there is supply to a third party in the community. This means that the controls apply in all situations where a third party is involved. Therefore, it is no longer possible for the farmer to supply meat from privately slaughtered animals to the rest of his household without the TSE Regulations having been applied, as they are considered to be a third party. The only exception is a truly private kill where a farmer slaughters the animal himself, processes it himself, and consumes it himself.
The Under 10,000 exemption
12. There are some circumstances where poultry, farmed game birds and rabbits do not have to be slaughtered in a licensed slaughterhouse in order for their meat to be lawfully sold for human consumption. This is the �under 10,000 exemption� at Regulation 3 of the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995. In essence, under this exemption, a farmer may slaughter on his holding birds or rabbits reared there and sell them for human consumption, provided that he rears and slaughters less than 10,000 of them per year. There are a number of conditions attached to this exemption, and these are set out in guidance from the Agency to Heads of Environmental Health and Trading Standards issued on 4th December 2002 (Annex C).
The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995
13. There is also legislation to protect the welfare of farmed livestock (both red meat animals and poultry) during the slaughter or killing process. Whenever such livestock is slaughtered (death caused by bleeding after stunning) or killed (immediate death), it must be carried out in accordance with the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended). The Meat Hygiene Service enforces this in licensed slaughterhouses and farmed game handling facilities. Outside licensed premises i.e. on farm, the Regulations are enforced by the State Veterinary Service. These Regulations 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. They also require everyone carrying out such operations to have the knowledge and skill necessary to perform the tasks humanely and efficiently in accordance with the Regulations. Only the permitted stunning and killing methods laid down in the Regulations may be used. The Regulations also require most people involved in the slaughter or killing process to be licensed, although there are a number of exemptions from this requirement. These exemptions include:
(i) the slaughtering or killing of an animal or bird by the owner for his/her private consumption;
(ii) the use of a free bullet to kill an animal in the field; and
(iii) the killing of a bird by dislocation of the neck on premises on which the bird was reared.

So, no, you can't feed it to your MIL, Buttery, unless it is poultry, rabbit or game.

Riverflow

Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 22
Location: Deepest Darkest Hampshire

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 12:22 pm Post subject:

Judith wrote:

The regulations in Wales are as follows:

Quote:

The Regulations also require most people involved in the slaughter or killing process to be licensed, although there are a number of exemptions from this requirement. These exemptions include:
(i) the slaughtering or killing of an animal or bird by the owner for his/her private consumption;
(ii) the use of a free bullet to kill an animal in the field; and
(iii) the killing of a bird by dislocation of the neck on premises on which the bird was reared.

Am I missing something, or if point (ii) above is the case, can anyone shoot an animal in the field? I mean, can a smallholder raise some sheep and, providing they are a competent shot, and have the right equipment (and possibly had the vet out to check the animals over), shoot one or two for the table when they are grazing happily in the field, after separating them from the rest of the flock, rather than going to an abbatoir?

Also, point (i) - what sort of animal or bird? A rabbit or chicken, or a cow?

Colin

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 12:42 pm Post subject:

I think that (i) does apply to any animal at all but, as discussed above, you would have to eat it all yourself, and not even allow other family members to share - so a whole steer would probably be a bit of a waste.

With (ii), I am pretty sure it applies to animals like deer which are normally shot in the field, rather than being taken to the abattoir. I would imagine that the TSE regulations that apply to sheep would take precedence here, but it isn't clear from that though, I must admit.

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:00 pm Post subject:
does anyone else here feel these laws are ridiculous and grossly unfair to smallholders?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45668
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:02 pm Post subject:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

does anyone else here feel these laws are ridiculous and grossly unfair to smallholders?

Probably just about everybody

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:03 pm Post subject:
Yes - this counrty is institutionally oppresive to small holders and wannabe peasants with regard to agircultural regulations, meat processing regs, planning and land use, taxes and general costs. Basically you have to go into farming as a business.

High Green Farm

Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 349
Location: Mid-Suffolk

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:04 pm Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

Yes - this counrty..... .

This country or the EU? Discuss.....

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:06 pm Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

wannabe peasants

TD and I once got called peasants by lout who tried to run us over in his Range/Land Rover; I think he meant it for an insult but I was quite flattered.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45668
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:07 pm Post subject:

High Green Farm wrote:

This country or the EU? Discuss.....

Nowhere in the EU actively discourages smallscale agricultural production with anything like the conviction that UK authorities exert.

(To the best of my knowledge)

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:08 pm Post subject:

High Green Farm wrote:

Behemoth wrote:

Yes - this counrty..... .

This country or the EU? Discuss.....

This country. We've been propping up French peasants for years and no doubt will be maintaining eastern european communities for some further years.

I've no particular gripe with this. It's support for agribusiness and world trade that gets my goat.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45668
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 3:10 pm Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

It's support for agribusiness and world trade that gets my goat.

Me too.

Kirstie

Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 94
Location: Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 05 11:20 am Post subject:

As Tahir states they can be slaughtered on the premises but only for the farmers consumption, I recently had this discussion with an official as two of my calves were not passported so are not allowed to be moved from my premises, he suggested slaughtering them and eating them, you are certainly not allowed to invite anyone else to eat this from outside the farm.......My take is how would they know.

All this being said it was not my idea to slaughter them as I had reared them and am too attached...bad news for a supposed lady farmer

markjadams

Joined: 06 May 2006
Posts: 109
Location: South West Wales

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 06 4:25 pm Post subject:

"12. There are some circumstances where poultry, farmed game birds and rabbits do not have to be slaughtered in a licensed slaughterhouse in order for their meat to be lawfully sold for human consumption. This is the �under 10,000 exemption� at Regulation 3 of the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995. In essence, under this exemption, a farmer may slaughter on his holding birds or rabbits reared there and sell them for human consumption, provided that he rears and slaughters less than 10,000 of them per year. There are a number of conditions attached to this exemption, and these are set out in guidance from the Agency to Heads of Environmental Health and Trading Standards issued on 4th December 2002 (Annex C). "

Does any one know what the conditions are to qualify for the 10,000 per year exemption?

I am interested in slaughter a few geese for sale at christmas, I would rather not take them to somewhere they don't know and get them stressed.

I am only talking a very small number and they have been raised by myself on my land.

Mark.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 06 5:00 pm Post subject:
Hi Mark - and welcome to the forum. Here's the regulation in all its glory and with all the conditions... https://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950540_en_2.htm#mdiv3 It would seem that for a few 'direct from the farm sales' the only requirement of that Stautory Instrument is that you keep full records. I have no idea what other Regs might apply though...

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