Slaughtering sheep and cattle for the use of family and friends

6 posts
Sun, 08/23/2015 - 20:06 #1

Member for

9 years 3 months
Black Locust
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 08/23/2015 - 18:58

Slaughtering sheep and cattle for the use of family and friends

Hi all,

 

I've recently purchased a 30 acre hobby farm and I'm looking to get some sheep and cattle to start grazing the grass in the next couple of months (as well as starting up a large orchard on the rest of the land).

 

I'm in the process of getting my PIC and completing all that other paperwork so I can make it happen. But before I quite get there, I'm curious about the regulations concerning home slaughter of sheep in NSW. Naturally, I'll be sending the hulking cattle off to an abattoir, but I fancy being able to slaughter and butcher the odd sheep on my own. My brother told me that the meat from these hypothetical home-slaughtered sheep is legally not allowed to even leave the property. - And that the same goes for sheep slaughtered by a mobile butcher. Surely that's not true, is it? I'm not going to be selling the meat or anything - just intending to give it away to friends and family, as well as for my own consumption.

 

I'd be really grateful for any help on this issue. Thanks in advance...

 

Kind regards,

 

P.S., this website is terrific!

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Mon, 08/24/2015 - 09:44 #2
peter_marybank
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 02/26/2015 - 13:47

Hello

 

You have bumped into an interesting regulatory point.

 

To to get properly informed I suggest;

 

Talk with a local mobile butcher, they will know the local regs - they have to as part of running their business

 

Talk with your local NSW DPI office - they will provide more comprehensive advice of the legal framework

 

The concept of meat not leaving your property is to prevent back yard buthery operating as a commercioal business without any food safety and welfare standards - You need to understand these regs, even if you wish to give it away.

 

Regards

 

Peter - Marybank

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Sun, 08/30/2015 - 16:14 #3
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi and welcome,

Your brother is correct. No part of stock slaughtered by a mobile butcher can leave the  property. If caught by the stock inspector doing so, the fine can be tremendous. If you want to share a portion, or even all of one of your animals with friends and relatives, then they must be taken live to a registered slaughterhouse where they will be inspected by a registered stock inspector before and after slaughter. As I have mentioned in a previous post recently, this is to stop the spread of livestock diseases, not just to annoy you or get extra money out of you. However, unfortunately, the system as it exists, does make it more expensive to share meat from your animals with friends and family.

 

The other thing you will need to do is get yourself some NLIS (National Livestock Identification System) tags to tag animals leaving the property and also a book of Way Bills,  before they are trucked out. Tags can usually be ordered through your local rural supplier. For further info. and to order your National Vendor Declaration and Way Bill book Ph: 1800654743. This number will take you to the help desk. You can also send an email to them at: support@nils.com.au Order well ahead of the date you want to have the animals slaughtered as it can take up to 3 weeks for the books and tags to arrive.

 

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Barb

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Mon, 08/31/2015 - 09:21 #4
charlie
Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44
Hi,
I would engage the services of a local butcher to have livestock killed and processed at accrediated facilities for your own personal use, not to be sold. As an example, my family has 6 lambs killed once a year at a local accrediated abattoir, the carcases are sent back to the butchers shop for processing where it is cut, wrapped and labelled. Each family member collects their share direct from the butchers shop.
Regards,
Charlie
 
 
 
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Mon, 08/31/2015 - 14:38 #5
Black Locust
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 08/23/2015 - 18:58

Thank you Peter, Barb and Charlie for your helpful answers.

So I guess there's no way around taking the animals to an accredited slaughterhouse and paying all of the extra fees, is there?--Otherwise, the regulations just make life far too difficult, don't they? The way I understand what you're telling me, if I were to slaughter a lamb on my farm, cook it on a spit, then take some of that cooked meat with me to Bronte beach in Sydney to have as lunch a couple of days later, I could be apprehended and slapped with a staggering fine (!!!). Am I right about that?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the same stringent regulations don't apply to the meat of wild animals shot on hunt, such as wild pigs, goats, deer and rabbits--all confirmed vectors of disease, right? And what's the story about domesticated meat rabbits? As far as I can tell, they're not on the list of animal species for which it is obligatory to attain a PIC. Do they also then escape the other regulations concerning home slaughter and transportation that are the crux of the question above?

Thanks again to everyone for their time. It appears as if I'm going to have to readjust all of my plans to make way for government fiat... 

 

 

 

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Mon, 08/31/2015 - 19:39 #6
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi BL,

You're correct. All farmed livestock fall under the regualtions. Feral animals don't. However, regarding the farmed rabbits, as it is illegal to have rabbits in Qld, I have no idea what the regulations would be. However, to find out, I suggest that you phone your local Dept of Primary Industries.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help about the rabbits.

 

Regards,

Barb

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