Ok here's the process I went through from registering my CPH number through to the home kill.
January 6th 2014Whilst registering for the CPH number with the Scottish government (SGRPID) I queried with them about home killing and butchering legislation.
They told me to speak to The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) about it as I needed to apply to them for a herd number anyway.
AHVLA are a part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
So I asked the question and the AHVLA emailed me a link to the DEFRA website….
I spent most of this week trying to get through on the DEFRA helpline, including twice actually getting through and being cut off whilst being put through to someone else!
I eventually got hold of someone who didn't know and advised me to email in my query!
email sent 10th January 2014, received automated reply stating the will answer all queries within 15 days but usually it will be quicker than that.
after
many repeat emails I got this response on the
28th of April! (15 weeks later)
"Home killing of livestock
Thank you for your email of 10th January about home killing of livestock. I apologise for the delay in replying.
As you are in Scotland the best source of advice would be the Scottish Government. There is some guidance about slaughter in the enclosed link to the Scottish Government website. I also enclose a link to the contacts page.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/AnimalWelfare/slaughter
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Contacts
I am sorry I cannot be of more direct help but I hope this information is useful.
Yours sincerely"ok, I had been Royally fobbed off!
So I called the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, got a very helpful lady who gave me the number for the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Rang the number and got another lovely lady in LONDON!! I'm in Scotland, they don't cover Scotland
She then gave me the number for the FSA in Aberdeen!
I was passed around a few people within the FSA before being advised to call my local Environmental Health Department.
Again I was involved in another few email conversations, passed around a few people within there before someone advised me to call the FSA!!
Now i'm not a believer in conspiracy theories but this was getting too ridiculous to be coincidental!
Ok so I now call the FSA in Aberdeen and ask to speak to the boss who unexpectedly took my call, listened to the tale of the fiasco and advised me to speak to the Humane Slaughter Association.
Now I explained at this point that I had everything in writing to date and could he please confirm to me in writing that the FSA in Aberdeen's official response to someone asking about home killing animals was to tell them to contact an independent registered charity for advice on government legislation?? (I didn't get it!)
I was also told that although it is legal the FSA actively discourage home killing.
I was then pointed to the FSA's website which contains a link to the Home Slaughter regulations.
http://www.food.gov.uk/scotland/regsscotland/regsguidscot/homeslaughterlivestockscotI sent an email where I laid out exactly the procedures I intended to follow from the FSA regulations and asked if these procedures were followed would this be legal and I got a response stating it would be!!! we were nearly there!
I did call the Humane Slaughter Association too
http://www.hsa.org.uk and spoke at length to Charlie Mason who runs it, I was surprised that he actually kills his own animals, I was honestly expecting him to be one of the tree hugger veggie types
He was very helpful and recommended using a .410 shotgun on pigs as first choice, the reason being that a stunner operated in the home environment may be a bit more susceptible to inaccuracy, or not being applied correctly etc and not stunning the animal correctly, whereas you're really not going to miss or slightly stun an animal if you have a shotgun a couple of inches from its head.
Actually the only concern I have had when using the stunner is that the pig may just move as I press the trigger and it doesn't make full contact, although every time I have done it so far there has been no issue whatsoever.
We have had Environmental Health out for an inspection after informing them of our plans and they quite openly admitted they don't condone home slaughter at all but that it is perfectly legal to do so.
So, the rules you need to adhere to are:
1. Only you or a member of your immediately family who lives with you can kill, clean and butcher the animal on your own premises.
2. You cannot take it onto someone else's premises at any stage.
3. You cannot have anyone who doesn't live with you come and help out at any stage, other people can watch, no one can assist.
4. Only you and your immediate family who live with you can eat the produce.
5. It cannot be sold, swapped or given away to anyone else outside the family who live on the premises, you can make your own sausage rolls and take them on a picnic but it is illegal to give one to anyone else.
6. All animal byproducts must be disposed of through a proper fallen stock company as normal
7. The TSE regulations do not apply to pigs, poultry, reared game, rabbits etc
The EU last year introduced a law which makes it legal for licensed mobile slaughter men to kill on the farm provided the produce is not sold on the market.
The FSA in the UK are looking at this and although it is not legal yet there may be a good chance it could happen in the future.
I appreciate the whole home killing process is not for everyone but I am willing to bet that there are many out there who would happily butcher their own animals on the farm if a qualified slaughter man came to the farm to kill and clean it for them first.
http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/enforcement/enf-s-13-026a.pdfI don't think i've missed anything but I probably have!