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