[smith032]

Hi, not sure if there is a post about this already, but i was just wondering what rules and legs there were about slaughtering your pigs for your own consumption?? All help much appreciated.

[hughesy]

You can have pigs slaughtered at home the meat being just for your own consumption. However you must still comply with all the rules and regs that apply including the proper disposal of all the waste. Much less hassle to take them to an abatoir.

[oaklandspigs]

Current rules in England and wales are :
 
http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/guidancenotes/meatregsguid/home-slaughter-livestock/livestockguidance/homekillguide.pdf
 
They would also come under the The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995, which lays down rules on killing methods
 
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/contents/made
 
 
 
 
 

[darkbrowneggs]

And getting the hair off after is pretty difficult - and crackling with designer stubble is not the best 

[MAK]

I have just come in from preparing for tomorrow's home kill of two 9 month pigs. We will burn the hair with what I can only describe as a flame thrower then jet wash before hanging overnight. Nice and cold here so ideal time to hang then cut. 

[Fowgill Farm]

I have just come in from preparing for tomorrow's home kill of two 9 month pigs. We will burn the hair with what I can only describe as a flame thrower then jet wash before hanging overnight. Nice and cold here so ideal time to hang then cut.

bear in mind MAK is in france where they take no notice of the rules
Mandy

[MAK]

Rules ?
Just doing what has been done for hundreds of years except that we will hoist the animal up with a tractor. It is so quick and humane with no transportation and overnight stay in a distant abbatoir, C'est la vie!

[xemonsus]

We always take ours to a local abatoir, and all seems very relaxed and ive never heard any squeeling in terror, they wander off the box following a bucket and seconds later its all over.
Our neighbours did a home kill recently and i have to say i was most upset from the noise we heard, i had to put my hands over my ears (we were accross a field) yes it was over in minutes but the time it took to string it up and do what ever they did was enough to convince me its not a route id ever want to take with any of mine.
£20 kill and split well worth it for us.
 

[SouthMains]

we are going with home kill...and this is not beacuse is the easiest or cheapest option far from it.  By the time we buy all the buthchery kit it will be  apretty expensive project, and I would be much happier if someone else would do this for me however I am not willinging to put my pigs through the stress of the transportation and the abattoir process.  I am under no illusion that this will be a pleasant or easy experince but I would rather be the one who is stressed and exhausted rather than  my pigs.  I just wish we could get it sorted so that we could have mobile abbatoirs that traveled to the site of the pigs, I know this would be a much more expensive route rather than the centralised abattoir but I would happily pay the money of this option was available.  Especially as more and more abbatoirs are closing or stopping taking private bookings so making it harder and harder for smallholders to exist

[oaklandspigs]

SM,
The problem is that under EU regs (as implemented in England & Wales) a slaughterhouse must have both the Veterinary Service and Meat Hygiene Service. The theory is that the first is responsible for your animal prior to death, and the latter ensures the meat from said animal is fit to enter the food chain.  Both the services are Gov supplied, so cost significant amounts – hence why so many abattoirs closed, and why no mobile service could ever work - the cost of these two bods would never make it work.
 

[deepinthewoods]

unless you live in cornwall where it is quite common.

[twizzel]

unless you live in cornwall where it is quite common.

Indeed and very popular! 

[VSS]

We home kill all our own meat - I am happier knowing that my animal have lived and died in one place, happy and attended by people they know. Less stress all round.

[Rosemary]

The problem is that under EU regs (as implemented in England & Wales) a slaughterhouse must have both the Veterinary Service and Meat Hygiene Service. The theory is that the first is responsible for your animal prior to death, and the latter ensures the meat from said animal is fit to enter the food chain.  Both the services are Gov supplied, so cost significant amounts – hence why so many abattoirs closed, and why no mobile service could ever work - the cost of these two bods would never make it work.

If this is true (and I'm not doubting it) how can it happen in Cornwall? Is Cornwall a seperate state now?

[susiewhitt]

We are hoping to use a mobile butcher to avoid stress of moving them, I know it is more costly, does anyone have any recommendations for or against this?  Also, these being our first pigs I am seeking advice, they have been until now on pig nuts and fruit, veg, bread scraps etc. but we have been asked if we are feeding pig cake?  Every time I Google this it comes up with Peppa Pig birthday cakes (!)...not quite what I am after, so your advice is much appreciated!