There has been a lot of interest in the idea of home killed meat, and as suspected, from my reading on the subject, the regulations are very strict.
I sent a list of questions to the NZ Food Safety Authority to settle it once and for all and this is their reply:
Thank you for your enquiry. You are correct this would not be legal in NZ. Meat can only be sold in NZ if it has been processed through a regulated premises. The following link will show you the premises with a registered RMP.
A homekill provider can only provide the service fo killing the beast for the consumption of the owner. A farmer can however sell a live beast to an interested purchaser. The purchaser of an animal is not able to slaughter or have their animal slaughtered for consumption until they have been actively engaged in the day-to-day maintenance of the animal, or animals of the same kind, for a period of at least 28 days and after 28 days of ownership they can use it for homekill.
See the overview on Homekill regulations in New Zealand.
I’d love to know the reasons for this. Is it to protect the meat industry, or the farmer? I have no problem that a farmer shouldn’t be allowed to slaughter an animal on my behalf but surely he/she can get a registered butcher to perform the deed. In the interests of food safety the butcher could determine, on my behalf, whether the animal is fit for human consumption, and if it isn’t then not allow me to remove the meat from their premises.
I’m not going to start a campaign over this but I’d love to know why these regulations exist. Perhaps those will be my next questions to the NZFSA.
Check out my other article on Homekill here.
How interesting. Many years ago my husband did odd job work on a farm in return for a side of beef. The farmer considered he got a bargain and we certainly thought we got one. I can’t remember whether we paid half the home kill cost. I don’t think so.
Thanks, Alan , for this very useful information. I think the real answer is that, at a licensed premises, the animals are inspected by a qualified vet, both before and after slaughter. I can see that this is a benefit, and I’m sure that unprincipled operators would take advantage of a less regulated system.
However, reading between the lines, I could theoretically sell an animal to another farmer (engaged in day-to-day maintenance of animals of the same kind) and he could have it home-killed 28 days later, if I’m not mistaken.
The pity is that ethical producers cannot use home-kill for slaughter and subsequent sale, which would be the most humane method – and produces the best quality meat too, of course!
Warmest regards, Robin Scott
Darfield Farmers Market