Selling meat boxes from a farm

Some farms sell their own beef, lamb or pork straight to households, a box or a half animal at a time. Selling the meat brings in rules that raising the animals does not.

Registering the business

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says anyone who sells, stores, prepares or distributes food may be a food business, and need to register with their council. That includes selling from home, from a stall or van, or only online.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a food business must register at least 28 days before it starts trading. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland and the council give advice to new food businesses.

Slaughter

The FSA's guide to home slaughter in England and Wales is firm on one point. Meat from an animal slaughtered at home by its owner cannot be sold, whether through a farm shop, at a farmers' market or any other way.

The lawful route is called private slaughter. The owner sends the animal to an approved slaughterhouse. The FSA inspects the carcase there, and it comes back to the owner with a health mark if it is fit to eat.

The same guide notes that every livestock owner must keep records of their animals' identification and movements.

Cutting the meat

Food law defines retail as handling or processing food at the point of sale or delivery to the final consumer. A farm that cuts meat only for households may fall within it. Retail sits mostly outside the extra hygiene rules for meat. If the farm later supplies a shop or a restaurant, those rules can come back in.

Before a cutting plant in England or Wales starts trading, the FSA has to approve it. A farm that is unsure which applies can ask its council.

Labels

Every business that sells or supplies fresh or frozen beef must run a traceability system, the Rural Payments Agency says. Its records must tie each label's reference number back to the animals the beef came from.

A seller must label pre-wrapped beef on its outermost packaging. That can be on each pack, or on the outer carton when several packs go out together.

Weights

In England, Scotland and Wales, goods sold by weight must be sold in grams or kilograms. An imperial weight can appear alongside, as long as it does not stand out more than the metric one.

Sealed packs made up to the same weight count as packaged goods. A packer can choose the minimum system, where each pack holds at least the weight on its label.

Delivery

The FSA's pack for caterers says food out for delivery should be kept hot or cold until it arrives at the customer's home. It suggests an insulated bag or box.

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