Allows for a person to provide slaughter and/or processing services to others who own the food animals either wholly or in part. The meat from custom slaughtered animals is exclusively for personal use by the owner(s) of the animal, members of his/her household, employees and non-paying guests, and cannot be sold or used for barter. In order to operate under the custom exemption, the following criteria must be met:
- The operation is licensed with the VT Agency of Agriculture as a custom slaughter operation;
- The slaughter operations are conducted in an approved facility under sanitary conditions as set out in 9 CFR 416.1-416.5;
- The animals are slaughtered as a service to their owners, regardless of whether the animals were owned by an individual or by multiple owners in partnerships or cooperatives; and All owners must sign the certificate of ownership before slaughter is performed
- The slaughter is done in accordance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and Vermont Humane Handling Regulations
- All of the meat and edible meat by-products derived from the custom slaughter of the animals is distributed only back to the owners of the animals for their personal use or for use by members of their households or non-paying guests;
- None of the meat or edible meat by-products derived from the custom slaughter is offered for sale in commerce or used for barter;
- The product is marked “NOT FOR SALE”; and
- The inedible parts (blood, internals, etc) are properly disposed of according to laws of other local, state and federal agencies that have jurisdiction.
The slaughter of animals with multiple owners would fall under the custom exemption requirements listed above.
Custom Exempt Operators Requirments: Guidance and Checklist
Guidelines to Operate a Custom Exempt Slaughter and/or Processing Facility in Vermont
VAAFM Custom Exempt Farm Livestock Slaughter