[Minifarmsm1]

Hello, I’m new hear so sorry If this question has been asked before but I couldn’t find anything when I looked through.
I raise standard Rex rabbits which I process for meat, I also raise and butcher quail. I have had people asking me if they could buy the meat.
Am I legally allowed to sell the meat directly to a consumer? I am in Surrey. Thank you ?

[alang]

I'm really interested in any answers to this too.

Maybe @cloddopper might be able to shed some light on this?

[cambee]

If you’re selling any meat direct to consumers legally you need to register as a food business with your local council (free), comply with food hygiene regs and be open to inspection. This will apply especially as you are butchering them yourself. Registering is easy, just find your local council online and fill in a form. You will them be contacted by your local EO. In our case, because we weren’t butchering but either selling direct from the abattoir or from our freezer we have been treated as low priority and not yet had a visit after 2 years ( we did have to fill in quite a long risk assessment form for our EO though). It’s worth going on the Food safety course which will tell you all about the legislation that’s relevant to you. On saying all that, lots of people I know don’t bother with any of that and just sell meat anyway.  I just like to be legal!

[Steph Hen]

Though I think you're allowed to sell shot game without any licence.

[cloddopper]

Though I think you're allowed to sell shot game without any licence.

 I had to stop running our mammal farm  due to increasing spinal disabilities back in 1997   so IIRC this is what was needed then .

 I've a sneaky feeling that in England & Wales you have you have game dealers licence to sell shot game to the public & also a poultry processors licence if you cut it up as well,  as complying with all local EO requirements for your butchery room & waste disposal
 It's worth checking on line with your local environmental officers & the licencing dept . of you local authorities .

I used to sell live  rabbits direct to the processor and live rabbits to the public .
 Those to the public were advised that I ws not allowed to sell killed or cut up rabbits ….but once they had paid for it if they asked me  I would happily dispatch it for them , skin ,  gut it & joint it .

I also sold miniature rabbits direct to the public , pet shops & dealers .  All except the public  had to be licenced as petshops & had to have a signed up vet & be subject to severla annoying local authority inspections each year which I had to pay for and had to trach the bloody inspector about my business as they hadn't a clue about the mammals I was rearing . It was also about to a legal requirement that I had to have a city & guilds certificate of animal husbandry & care for each species of creature I was rearing . That I was teaching local vets & council petshop inspectors  about my animals  did not exclude me , That was the final straw for me , I sold up all stock & equipment then sold off the farm &farm house . with planning permission to construct anther four stock buildings40 x 60 mtrs .

I also had to have a game licence for rabbits that I had to carry with me when I was out shooting … there was talk of that being written off the books   but it might not have been .