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Red Meat Map and Chart

State-by-State* Review of Custom/On-Farm Slaughter Laws

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
  • Custom/on-farm slaughter
  • Slaughter at a custom facility only
  • Custom/on-farm slaughter on owner’s property only
  • Neither custom slaughter or on-farm slaughter
“Custom slaughter” is the off-farm slaughter in a custom facility; On-Farm slaughter is slaughtering for owners of an animal other than the farmer.

*Specific requirements for custom/on-farm slaughter laws may vary by state.
Copyright © 2018 Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, farmtoconsumer.org. The map is the property of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF). This map may not be reproduced or altered without the express, written permission of FTCLDF, and if permission is granted all reproductions must cite FTCLDF as the source of the original material. This map is not intended to be used as or construed as legal advice.

Read “Introduction to the FTCLDF Custom Slaughter Map” for more details.


BY STATE – LEGALITY OF CUSTOM/ON-FARM SLAUGHTER

Complementing the Red Meat Nation Map is this chart which provides among other details whether there is a limit on the number of owners for a custom-slaughtered animal. The chart also contains information on state requirements about who may do the slaughtering, whether it’s the owner, the producer, or both.

STATE CUSTOM SLAUGHTER
(9CFR 303.1)
OWNERS PER ANIMAL
(No limit per USDA)
ON FARM SLAUGHTER
(Producer, owner, or both)
Alabama Yes. Requires a custom exempt Grant of Inspection. No limit. Paperwork requirements are owner’s name, address, tag number, and animal description. Owner may field dress. Producer may not field dress. Field dressed cattle must be 30 months or younger due to BSE. Processing plants may have the option of not accepting field dressed animals.
Alaska Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Arizona Yes. Requires a license. One owner only. The producer may not field dress. The owner may slaughter on farm if licensed as an exempt mobile slaughterer. Otherwise, the slaughter must be done by the custom exempt facility.
Arkansas Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
California Yes.  

No limit.

If the live animal is sold to the owner, it must be transported to the owner’s property to be slaughtered or to a California Department of Food and Agriculture licensed custom livestock slaughter facility or to a USDA inspected slaughter facility.
Colorado Yes. Requires a license.  

No limit.

Both producer and owner may slaughter and then transport carcass to a licensed facility for further processing.
Connecticut Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Delaware Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Florida Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Georgia Yes. No limit. Owner may slaughter. Producer may not.
Hawaii Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Idaho Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Illinois Yes. No limit. No field dressing.
Indiana Yes. No limit, but “typically not more than four.” Owner may slaughter. Producer may not.
Iowa Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may field dress. Custom facility has option to refuse to process field dressed animals.
Kansas Yes. No limit. Owner may slaughter. Producer may not.
Kentucky Yes. No limit. No slaughtering by owner or producer.
Louisiana Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may field dress.
Maine Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may field dress.
Maryland Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Massachusetts Yes. Requires a state license. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Michigan Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Minnesota Yes. Guidelines (but not regulations on the books): Minimum order for beef is ¼. Minimum order for a hog is ½. Producer may slaughter. Owner may not. Producer could also hire someone with a mobile slaughter unit that is licensed to slaughter on the farm.
Mississippi Yes. Up to four owners per animal. Only owner can field dress.
Missouri Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may field dress.
Montana Yes. No limit. Beef/cattle/horses need a change of ownership inspection when the animal is sold, and all owners must be named on the document transferring ownership. Neither producer nor owner may slaughter. Slaughter must be done in a licensed facility.
Nebraska Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Nevada Yes. No limit. Neither producer nor owner may field dress.
New Hampshire Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
New Jersey Yes. No limit. Neither producer nor owner may field dress. Slaughter must be done in the exempt facility.
New Mexico Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
New York Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
North Carolina Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may slaughter.
North Dakota Yes. No limit. Neither producer nor owner may slaughter.
Ohio Yes. Limited to four owners. Producer or owner may field dress but must be done on owner’s property.
Oklahoma No. N/A N/A
Oregon Yes. No limit. Neither producer nor owner may field dress.
Pennsylvania Yes. No limit. Defer to USDA.
Rhode Island Yes. Requires a license. Only one owner per animal according to department policy. This limitation is not in either statute or regulation. Producer or owner may slaughter.
South Carolina No. N/A N/A
South Dakota Yes. No limit. Farm slaughter okay only if done by a representative of a licensed facility.
Tennessee Yes. No limit. Producer or owner may field dress.
Texas Yes. No limit. Each owner has their own cut sheet and pays for their own processing. Only owner may field dress. No field dressing of cattle under BSE rules.
Utah Yes. No limit. Owner may field dress on their own property. A licensed mobile slaughterer may go to the owner’s land, field dress the animal, and transport it to a custom processing facility.
Vermont Yes. No limit. Owner must sign an owner’s certification for the animals. Producer or owner may field dress.
Virginia Yes. No limit. Owner may field dress. Producer may not field dress.
Washington Yes. No limit. Producer may field dress.
West Virginia Yes. Limited to two owners. This is policy, not found in either statutes or regulations. The owner may slaughter and deliver to the custom exempt facility. Producer may not slaughter unless producer has a license.
Wisconsin Yes. Limit of four owners if slaughter is done at a custom facility. If done on the farm through a mobile slaughtering unit, there may only be one owner. Producer or owner may field dress but must be on owner’s premises.
Wyoming Yes. No limit, but must prove ownership by bill of sale. Producer or owner may field dress.

May 10, 2017
Copyright © 2010-2018 Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund www.farmtoconsumer.org. The chart is the property of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF). This chart may not be reproduced or altered without the express, written permission of FTCLDF, and if permission is granted, all reproductions must cite FTCLDF as the source of the original material. This chart is not intended to be used as or construed as legal advice.


 

GLOSSARY

BSE – Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (also known as mad cow disease)

Customer – owner of an animal other than farmer

Defer to USDA – state adopts federal regulations governing on-farm slaughter

Field dress – killing, bleeding, and skinning (exact definition can vary state to state). For purposes of this chart, the words “slaughter” and “field dress” are used interchangeably.

Producer – farmer

Slaughter – same as “field dress”. For purposes of this chart, the words “slaughter” and “field dress” are used interchangeably.

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Defending the rights and broadening the freedoms of family farms and protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods. Copyright © 2007-2020 · For more information: email: [email protected] · Phone: (703) 208-FARM (3276) · Falls Church, VA Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) The content of this website is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be nor should it be construed as either a legal opinion or as legal advice. Articles posted here do not necessarily represent the views or the position of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.