The Poultry Keeper

Boo · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 1

Hi,

What are the laws / restrictions on a smallholder slaughtering and butchering their own pigs in the UK ? Anyone know what the differences are between here and France ?

Thanks,

Boo

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 2041 Location: norfolk

Don't quote me on this but I'm fairly sure you can slaughter your own pig but you may not feed any of the resulting meat to any one outside your immediate family.

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1443 Location: Leicestershire

That about sums it up - but also you cannot sell, barter or give away the meat, it can only be used in your immediate household.

If you slaughter a sheep, only the person who slaughtered it can eat it, not even his/her immediate family

I don't know about France, I would imagine the rules are more lenient.

Itsybitsy

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1724 Location: Clawddnewydd

And I wonder how many of us abide by those rules..............

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1443 Location: Leicestershire

Sylvia · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:47 am Post subject:

There has been a big discussion about this on one of the other Forums I belong to. I will have a look at it later and come back with relevant details.

Sylvia · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:20 am Post subject:

As promised, some points from the discussion (a lot of it goes off at tangents so I am only posting relevant bits)

Whilst the slaughter at home of pigs and sheep is 'tolerated' it is not strictly legal.

If the sheep are legal( and should be) and eartagged they will cost about 10 euros a piece to kill at the abattoir. As you know there is about half the live weight in skin and guts to get rid of as well.

Iit has been compulsory for the last several years to have all sheep, goats and cattle eartagged and their movement between farms or farm to abattoir recorded. None of the above species are allowed into a licenced abattoir without identification. Pigs are in a grey area. You can have up to and including two pigs to fatten without tags,in which case you will have to home kill unless you can find the rare abattoir that is ready to flout the law. As it stands, all pigs entering an abattoir have to have ear tag/tattoos and in most cases an extra tatoo on the shoulder. To travel to the abattoir they also need a movement licence

Hilarysmum · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 13

Hi re the pig tagging bit - its a bit of an odd one. I breed pigs and up till recently sold the meat - it had to be killed in an abattoir and butchered in by a registered butcher at his premises to allow us to sell it.

I have had regular visits from the MSA reps. and various assorted others. Except for the pigs imported from UK which are tagged with 2 id tags, DEFRA and BPA none of our pigs are tagged (I loath tagging ears). The breeding stock is ear tattooed.

We have always taken ours to a huge commercial abattoir, never tagged or tattooed. We slap mark but thats all. I dont pretend to understand the laws here, but basically if you are not selling the meat they dont seem at all concerned what you do. Most people I know have the home kill butcher out, most barter, swap or otherwise exchange meat for goods etc. Its known, nothing is ever said.

So here it appears to depend where you live and how the person interprets the rules.

Re-reading this its not really helpful, just muddies the waters, sorry! Very Happy

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7370 Location: isle of lewis

at our abattoir ,you can just slap up to a year old ,and they will do that for you ,they have a new slapper now Shocked

i think that's what happens here don't keep pigs but that is what i was told at out place Confused

,although i believe there is new paperwork to be filled in now Confused

,sheep are completely different ,i even had to have the receipts for the slaughter house when they came this week
this is in scotland

CP · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:55 am Post subject:

Chris Kurzfeld · Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 1649 Location: Carmarthenshire

What about butchering? Our local abbatior has stopped doing butchering and the others are miles away. How easy is it to butcher yourself and what are the rules for sheep?

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 2041 Location: norfolk

I'm not an expert myself but my daughter went on a butchering course and says it was invaluable. It does need teaching and is better taught by someone there in front of you than from a book. If you are interested, I could find out where she went etc.

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1443 Location: Leicestershire

It's not that difficult, but you do need space and the ability to hang up a carcass. Plenty of very hot water for removing the hair from a pig. A good saw, a cleaver is handy but you may be able to manage with a sharp axe. Good worksurfaces, sharp knives and running water initially.