The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: juliag on November 24, 2008, 02:41:08 pm
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Hi there,
I am new to this so please forgive me if I have put this in the wrong place etc. I have just booked my first 2 pigs in to be slaughtered on the 15th dec, I have my pig movement licence but cannot find the food information forms I need. The abbatoir needs them with the movement licence when I take the pigs in. I have been asked to have them there for between 7.30am and 8am, is it advisable to load them into the trailer the night before and give them a good bed in there or is that an absolute no-no? Also am I supposed to make sure they are totally clean? as they spend most of their time in the mud now! However they are not filthy just muddy legs.
Also how long generally before I would pick the meat up as we have already sold one pig to friends and I am assuming our meat will be back before xmas!
Thanks for taking the time to read this , all replies will be gratfully appreciated! :pig: ???
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Hi, most of this is on previous posts, go to food standards agency website for food chain forms, load pigs the night before is a must, they will be fine in the trailer overnight. when you get them back depends on the slaughterhouse, if ours go in on mon or tues you normally get them back on friday, do you know how you want the pig butchered? marking on pigs must be either slap mark or metal tags,most slaughterhouses dont like plastic ones as they will not survive the process. as long as their reasonably clean dont worry about mud on legs, rub it off with some straw if its to bad. best of luck neil
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Hi, Don't panic about the cleanliness of the pigs if you bed them up on the trailer over night most of the mud will go and the abbatoir are flexible with pigs more so than any other animal with regards to mud and dirt. Also getting the pigs on the trailer the night before will save you alot of time in the morning especially as by the time you get to the abbatoir if you have been chasing your pigs around trying to get them loaded in the morning the abbatoir may have finished their pig line for the day and moved on to a different animal. But most importantly the pig will be less stressed if you load them up the night before. All the best Gary
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Thankyou both for that, actually I have no idea how I want them butchered , I thought they would probably do a standard butchering, any suggestions?
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Ask Andrew - on here - he is a butcher - Treasurer of the local smallholders assoc. Hopefully I will be trying their pork very soon!
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go to pigs section page 6 post called what should i ask the butcher to do, hilarysmum has put a very good beginners guide on here,we found it most useful..........do your own variation on this.....neil
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Hi
Im just about to do the same thing with my three saddlebacks. Just one question. What are the food information forms ?. :pig: :pig: :pig: :
Hi there,
I am new to this so please forgive me if I have put this in the wrong place etc. I have just booked my first 2 pigs in to be slaughtered on the 15th dec, I have my pig movement licence but cannot find the food information forms I need. The abbatoir needs them with the movement licence when I take the pigs in. I have been asked to have them there for between 7.30am and 8am, is it advisable to load them into the trailer the night before and give them a good bed in there or is that an absolute no-no? Also am I supposed to make sure they are totally clean? as they spend most of their time in the mud now! However they are not filthy just muddy legs.
Also how long generally before I would pick the meat up as we have already sold one pig to friends and I am assuming our meat will be back before xmas!
Thanks for taking the time to read this , all replies will be gratfully appreciated! :pig: ???
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Food Chain Information (FCI)
From 1 January 2008 all pig producers are required to provide Food Chain Information (FCI) to the
slaughterhouse with every consignment of pigs sent to slaughter and contains all the information
previously contained on casualty pigs forms. Under EU Hygiene regulations 2006 pig farms are
recognised as food business operators (FBO).
If pigs are sold to markets or collection centres, the pig producer must supply FCI with the pigs.
The markets can then complete the destination abattoir details and number of pigs and, if
necessary photocopy the form if the consignment is split.
The abattoir is legally responsible for ensuring that it collects all necessary information to comply
with the FCI elements of the EU legislation. The Food Standards Agency through the Meat
Hygiene Service are responsible for ensuring FCI legislation is applied in the UK. If FCI is not
provided, the legislation from 01 Jan 2008 requires that carcases are not health marked and
therefore cannot enter the food chain. FCI will also be used by FSA and MHS in introducing
simplified
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Spoken yesterday to very friendly lady at the animal health department (defra) who says that they will send one and that it is usual that they send them out with the movement licence. So we are now all sorted. thankyou everyone. :)
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As already mentioned there is a very good description of what to request from your butcher which was posted by Hilarysmum. If you would like to ask any other questions regarding butchery or I can help in any way drop me a line and we can discuss it. I have a number of diagrams and descriptions which I would be happy to post to anyone who would like them, unfortunately I do not have them on my computer or I would post them here.
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Hilary's mum's head is now so swollen she cant get out of the door. Hilary