Meat safety and hygiene
Rules for the slaughter of livestock and wild game
There are certain rules you should follow when slaughtering livestock. There are specific rules for slaughterhouses and 'home slaughters'. Different rules apply to the shooting of wild game.
Food chain information rules for slaughterhouses
EU food hygiene rules require slaughterhouse operators to 'request, receive, check and act upon' food chain information (FCI) for livestock sent for slaughter for human consumption. This applies to cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and horses for food use.
Under current operating arrangements for Northern Ireland, food and feed products placed on the NI market will continue to follow EU rules. From Autumn 2023, the Windsor Framework will allow GB standards for public health to apply for pre-packed retail goods moved via a new NI retail movement scheme and placed on the NI market. Where relevant, these goods will still need to meet EU standards on animal and plant health.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has produced food chain information guidance to help food businesses.
Home slaughter of livestock
In some cases, livestock may be slaughtered outside an approved slaughterhouse.
The term 'home slaughter' means the slaughter of a livestock animal by the animal's owner outside of an approved slaughterhouse on their property. This must be for their own personal consumption, or for consumption by members of their immediate family. They must comply with Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) legislation and other rules regarding animal by-products.
Home slaughter is different from 'private slaughter'. This is where the owner of the animal sends it to an approved slaughterhouse. In private slaughter, government inspectors check the carcass, health mark it and the food business returns it to the owner.
If you have any doubt about the legal status of the slaughter, and how this may affect the meat's hygiene:
- contact the FSA for advice
- find your local council in Northern Ireland for guidance
Hygiene regulations for wild game
Any business involved in the shooting or supply of wild game for human consumption has a responsibility to ensure they maintain high levels of meat hygiene and produce safe food at all times.
These businesses will be required to:
- ensure that people hunting and handling wild game meat have the appropriate training
- comply with traceability requirements
- ensure that the game is stored, prepared and transported at hygienic temperatures
In addition, these businesses may be required to:
- register with their local council
- apply for approved game handling establishment status if processing wild game at a place of business and if supply is wider than the supply of small quantities to the final consumer or to retail outlets directly supplying the final consumer
The FSA has produced a wild game guide. This provides food hygiene regulations advice for people who shoot wild game and supply it directly to the final consumer or retail.
The British Quality Wild Venison standard
Wild venison producers and processors can apply to the national wild venison quality assurance scheme.
This voluntary scheme is open to applicants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and ensures a set of audited standards are met throughout the supply chain, from forests to the processing chain, to supermarket shelves.
The standard only relates to venison from wild deer that are legally culled for human consumption and are considered to be wild under the applicable laws in the UK.
- Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland028 9041 7700