[DLagorio]

Hi all

I always thought it was illegal to slaughter your own animals but looking at the government web site: https://www.gov.uk/farm-animal-welfare-at-slaughter  i noticed that apparently this is not the case if the meat is for your own consumption. Does anyone have any experience of this? is there something that i a m missing?

thanks
Dom

[oaklandspigs]

The FSA view fo the law is in the booklet in the following link
 
www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/guidancenotes/meatregsguid/home-slaughter-livestock/
 
It is quite do-able, but you'll need to consider
 

• the actual killing - both compliance with the law and the humane slaughter - a firearms certificate is only valid if it includes pigs/livestock as legal uses.  Humane Slaugther Association guidance includes use of a shotgun for casualty slaughter, don't offhand know if that's legal for meat slaughter
• Butchering - your skills, equipment needed to handle the dead carcass, and the actual butchery

 

[Sudanpan]

You also have to consider the costs involved in appropriately disposing of any parts of the animal you don't use - you can't just chuck it in the domestic waste!


A friend of ours has a mobile slaughterman who comes and 'does' his Dexters - it costs him more to kill at home than it would to take the beast to the abattoir cos he has to hire a cold store for the length of time he needs to hang the carcase and then he has to pay for the waste to be taken away by a licenced operator.

[Tamsaddle]

Some friends down here in the south used a licensed mobile slaughterman for their 2 pigs exclusively for their home consumption, and the cost was £30 a pig including removal of all the waste.   This particular slaughter was done in conjunction with a local butcher who collected the 2 carcasses within 20 minutes, hung them in his own cold store then did all the butchery on his premises.   It was all done very quickly and humanely with proper electric tong stunning before the sticking, and absolutely no pain or suffering by either pig.   Tamsaddle

[rispainfarm]

I think we could do with more mobile slaughterman like that across the UK. So many people don't want to take them to the abattoir for various reasons

[Tudful Tamworths]

I've always thought that, if I ever came into a bit of money, I'd set up a mobile service (though I wouldn't do it myself, of course - I'd employ someone!). I think there would be a lot of smallholders who would welcome such a service.

[oaklandspigs]

Problem is that the FSA hate the idea of home kills, so make their interpretation of the law very difficult - those with time should read the thread in sheep area for a lively disussion of this
 
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=28970.0
 
 

[cleopatra]

its finding somewhere strong enough to hang them would be our problem.

[Bumblebear]

And how would hairy pigs be dealt with?  Mobile scald tank?  I love the idea of a home slaughter though.

[Tudful Tamworths]

I was thinking a big lorry which would literally be a mobile abattoir. All the kit/facilities you need would be inside.

[Daisys Mum]

I was thinking a big lorry which would literally be a mobile abattoir. All the kit/facilities you need would be inside.

Sounds good but I think the running costs would make it too expensive.

[VSS]

And how would hairy pigs be dealt with?  Mobile scald tank?  I love the idea of a home slaughter though.

It's not really that hard if you you feel confident about the job. It would be helpful thought to watch someone do one first, before embarking on your own, but not essential.

We have been home killing all our own pork for the last twenty years, and it really isn't nearly as big a deal as people think. My OH wrote a comprehensive article about killing pigs at home a few years ago in Country Smallholding magazine if you can get hold of a copy and I wrote something in a similar vein for Home Farmer (Dec 2011 and Jan 2012).

[MAK]

We are very lucky (here in central France) as a senior member of the local hunt provides this service free for the community. He did our 2 pigs last year and is due to come in 2 weeks time for the next 2.
He is very particular on how he lays his tools out in different areas and will bark out instructions to ensure that from the moment he enters the pig stye to our pigs final moments everything is done so quickly - the pigs barely know what is happening.
Our neighbours large tractor is essential to lift the pigs and collect the blood. A 2-handed blow torch (flame thrower) is used to quickly remove hair whilst the skin is scrapped. They are then taken into the yard to pressure wash then return on the tractor to be emptied and washed again. Sorry to say that the waste is buried as this seems to be quite normal here.
We remove the head and then cut each pig in half - then I wash again before hanging in my barn. We make a tent around them using shower curtains and hang in such away so that no vermin can reach them. I start the butchering the next day.
I am pleased that we can do such an humane and VERY quick home slaughter and that my pigs do not have the trauma of being taken away to a strange place to be processed with other pigs.
I would say that it is definetely a 3 man job ( quite phyical too) and that good planning and organisation is needed to make things go smoothley and quickly. We are so lucky to have a free slaughter service and such a good neighbour to help - all they would take from me in payment was the blood and some fat - they returned the next night with a link of black pudding for me ( of course I gave them some meat after I butchered it but this was negated when they returned with a quarter of deer).