Selling own beef

3 posts
Mon, 03/31/2014 - 14:05 #1

Member for

10 years
kathyd
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 03/31/2014 - 13:59

Selling own beef

hi, i was just wondering if someone could give me some advice. my husband and I have a beef cattle. we were thinking of selling our beef straight to consumers and was wondering what the process was. we have the cattle killed by a professional and also cut up by the local butcher so we wouldnt be doing any of that side of it, we just wanted to sell the packed product to consumers. I was just after the legallities of selling your own product.

if anyone could give me info on starting up this little business idea , that would be much appreciated.

Kathy

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Mon, 03/31/2014 - 18:24 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Kathy,

I don't know what state you are in, but here in Queensland, you can't sell beef or livestock killed by a mobile butcher on your property, even if it is then delivered to a local butcher to be dressed and butchered. What they term home kill cannot be removed from the property where it is killed- that includes meat, hides, bones and fat as well as the offal and guts. Under Qld legislation you have to have the cattle killed at a licensed abbatoire or by a butcher at his licensed yards. I guess it is to do with hygiene and disease control.

I will give you an example of a case that I know of personally. The mobile butcher who used to do my cattle for me was asked to do the cattle, pigs and sheep of a grazier who lived about 50 kl from me. The grazing property had no electricity but as the bloke who owned it lived in town, they thought that the stock could be killed on farm and then taken to the fellows town property where they could plug in the cool room and age the carcasses for a few days as is the usual practice.

To cut a long story short, when they were on their way back to town, the stock inspector pulled them over and this is the upshot: The carcasses, two sheep, 2 pigs and a steer were confiscated as was the truck and the cool room. The owner of the stock copped a massive fine (10,000 per animal) as did the mobile butcher.

So I would be very cautious and check it out with your local agricultural dept. before I went ahead with the plan. I know many people do sell meat from their property, but they are taking a big risk as the fines are very steep if they are caught.

Hope some of this info helps.

cheers,

Barb

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Sun, 04/06/2014 - 11:12 #3
charlie
Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44

Hi Kathy,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for the question.

A similar question was asked some time ago, you can find a detailed answer here

http://farmstyle.com.au/question/slaughtering-and-selling-meat-our-small-farm

In that instance the owner wanted to slaughter and as well as sell their on livestock. I know a number of small area farmers who engage local butchers to have livestock killed and processed at accrediated facilities for their own personal use, not to be sold.

Does any other members have experience seliing their own beef or lamb?

Regards,

Charlie

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