Private kill, step by step

Private kill means paying an abattoir to slaughter your own animal and give you back the carcase or the cut meat. It's how smallholders, small farms and many direct sellers get their meat. Here's how it usually works.

1. Find an abattoir that takes your animals

   Use the finder to see which abattoirs near you take your species. Not every abattoir does private kill, and some only take regular customers, so phone first.

2. Book early

   Small abattoirs can be booked up weeks or months ahead, especially in autumn and before Christmas. Ask which days they kill your species, how they want animals delivered, and whether they'll hang and cut the meat or you need a separate butcher.

3. Get the paperwork ready

   Cattle travel with their passport. Sheep, goats and pigs need a movement record or licence, and the abattoir will tell you which system to use. Pig moves in England and Wales are licensed through eAML2. Sheep and goat moves are reported through the Livestock Information Service in England and EIDCymru in Wales.

   Every animal also needs food chain information: a short declaration about its health and any medicines it has had. Make sure any medicine withdrawal periods have passed. TB or bluetongue restrictions can limit where animals can go, so check if your holding is affected.

4. Take them in

   Bring animals clean, fit to travel and in a suitable trailer, or ask whether the abattoir can arrange collection. Arrive at the time you're given.

5. Hanging

   Beef is usually hung for one to four weeks to mature, lamb for about a week to ten days, and pork for anything from a few days to two weeks. Ask what the abattoir does and whether hanging costs extra. The guide to hanging meat has the detail.

6. Cutting

   Give the butcher a cutting list: which joints, steaks, chops, mince and sausages you want, how thick, and how you want it packed. If you've pre-sold the meat, match the list to your orders.

7. Collect and keep it cold

   Bring cool boxes or a chilled vehicle, get the meat into a fridge or freezer quickly, and freeze what you won't eat within a few days. Pork from smallholdings is usually tested for the Trichinella parasite and held until the result is back, so ask when you can collect.

If you sell the meat

Meat from private kill at an approved abattoir can be sold, because it's inspected and health marked like any other. Before you start, register as a food business with your council at least 28 days before you trade. Registration is free. If you sell to shops or restaurants rather than straight to the public, the meat normally has to be cut and packed at an approved cutting plant.

Beef comes under the compulsory beef labelling scheme, which covers loose beef as well as packs. Prepacked pork, lamb, goat and poultry need origin details, and sausages and burgers need an ingredients list with allergens picked out. Ask your abattoir or butcher whether they can print labels for you. The guide to selling your own meat covers the rest, from cold boxes to farmers' markets.

Hunters and wild game

Deer and other game you shoot can be eaten at home or given to family and friends without any paperwork. To sell it, you can supply small quantities in the skin or feather direct to the public or to local shops, pubs and restaurants, or sell it to an approved game handling establishment, usually called a game dealer. Once you skin, pluck or butcher game to sell, you need to register with your council, and game dealers normally want a trained hunter's declaration with each deer.

Use the "Wild game" filter in the finder to see approved game handlers, and read the guide to deer and game processing, which also covers the lead ammunition rules that start in April 2029.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between England and Wales and change over time, so check with your abattoir, vet or local council if you're unsure.