direct marketing meat

[kpb]

I just read an article on a sheep farmer who sells her lamb meat directly to the consumer at farmers markets in Calgary. I know that we've discussed this before but I seem to have a mental block on this--is it possible to slaughter your own calf, lamb, hog, etc. then sell the meat directly to the consumer? I thought only government inspected slaughterhouses could sell meat to consumers and that if you took an animal to the local slaughterhouse the meat could not be sold and must be consumed by yourself?? Grassfarmer, or anyone else who knows the answer to this--are we able to slaughter our own animals and direct market the beef out of freezers at farmers markets? thanks in advance for your replies


kpb

[grassfarmer]

Without reading the article you mention, yes it must be slaughtered at a Gov. inspected slaughter plant (most local slaughter plants are Provincially approved)before you can sell to the public. If you slaughter on farm, even using a mobile slaughter facility and then transport the meat to an approved plant to hang or be processed you are not allowed to sell it to the public.
Transport of the meat is a sticky issue - beef must be kept under 4C during transit (so we could haul it safely all winter in the back of a truck? - wrong)There are certain constraints on how to haul it. I can get animals processed and ask customers to pick up at the plant and they can haul it home in 30C heat if they choose. I am also able (i think) to deliver beef that has already been paid for but not beef that I am going to offer for sale. Special conditions allow you to haul beef to a farmers market in anticipation of selling it which is an exsemption of the previous rule. If you haul beef home from a plant for later sale your home storage (freezers)must be approved.
I think that is the way it works anyway,
There will be lots of people breaking the various different rules at this moment I would think.
I don't do it but I believe I could produce better, safer beef by slaughtering the beeves in the pasture and them getting them processed.
The dangerous ecoli infested beef largely comes out of our friends at Brooks and HighRiver - these huge modern plants are relatively filthy, due of course to the ridiculous line speeds they work at. No way can they keep the beef sanitised when it is moving so fast on the lines it swings going around the corners!

[WoolyBear]

In MB, you can sell your livestock to your neighbor, and let him look after slaughtering and processing. If he wants to do it himself, fine, but he can't sell the meat.

OR you can take the beastie to a GIA (gov inspected abattoir) and let him pick it up and pay for the processing, and hopefully you for your beast.

OR you can build a small storage building that meets the health dept specs, and that will vary in some areas, get a relatively inexpensive permit (free) and then you can sell the meat from your facility as you can. It still has to be slaughter at a GIA.

OR if you build a better building, with stainless steel, plastic, and concret that can be cleaned etc and a get a different permit........and take the animal to a GIA, bring home the carcass, cut and wrap it and freeze it to sell as you can.

In SHORT as we understand it, to sell anything other than a live animal, the slaughtering HAS TO be done by a GIA, and if you bring the meat home, there has to be a permit. And a bigger permit if you process it after the GIA.

The permits are more for your own liability protection, and the safety of the consumer. Have to start somewhere I guess.

[cakadu]

Grassfarmer, my husband feels the same way you do about our sheep. He would prefer to kill them here on the farm because there is far less stress to them (and to us).

Instead we haul them to town and get it done at the provincally inspected plant and then deliver the meat once it is ready to be picked up.

The best thing to do is to check for the regulations in your own area because each health unit handles things a bit differently.

Each farmers market is also somewhat different with respect to what you can and cannot do. I know when we were selling at the Millarville market, once the temperatures in the coolers etc. got to 4 C or higher, your sales were done for the day. The market staff were free to come around and inspect the coolers at any time, which wasn't a problem because we had them loaded up with ice etc. and most times we were sold out long before the ice ever got melted.

Somewhere back many posts ago, I did put up some information regarding direct marketing. I'll see if I can either find the post again or the information and re-post it here.

[grassfarmer]

Cakadu,
I'm surprised that you worry about the sheep getting stressed. In our experience they took very little hurt from handling and transport compared to cattle. Once the slight stress of loading is over they can be transported for quite a distance and are quite relaxed. I don't know if your hair sheep are different.
It's a cleaner, healthier way to slaughter them if you do it out on a pasture but it would stress me more having to do that than shipping them to a slaughter plant.

[kpb]

thx everyone for your replies which have cleared up my confusion. By the way the article I read was in The Alberta Express which I received in my box today. On page 20 there is an article entitled Direct Marketing Lamb.

kpb

[cakadu]

kpb, how often does that Alberta express come out? I know we did get it at one time, but it seems to me that we haven't gotten it for a while now - either that or I'm just having one of those aging moments.

[kpb]

cakadu, The Alberta Express is a free publication that just seems to arrive, like Wheel and Deal, I guess. Anyways the one I just got is March, 2005, Volume 02 Number 03. I think this newspaper comes once a month but I'm not sure. The web site is www.agcanada.com

kpb

[cakadu]

Grassfarmer, yes, the hair sheep are different - at least the Barbados are. They do not like to be confined at all so the loading is probably far more stressful than the actual ride to the processor. Once they are on the truck, they don't have too much problem - at least we've not ever noticed it.

My husband is an avid hunter and is used to dressing out game, so I don't believe that part would be too much of an upset for him. Me, on the other hand......

[SASH]

This guy here has the right idea.

http://www.manitobabeef.com/

Saw his booth in the mall the other day. He looked really busy.