FSA Letter, 15 December 2003
Issue
Meat Hygiene Division of the Food Standards Agency has updated the Private Kills (Slaughter) Guidance, which was distributed to local authorities and other interested organisations in December 2001. A copy of the revised guidance, which replaces that issued in December 2001, is available from the FSA web site. (At time of writing, go to: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/privatekill_guidance.PDF)
Where the new guidance applies
This new guidance is only applicable in England. FSA Wales has issued similar guidance reflecting Welsh legislation and FSA Northern Ireland will be issuing similar guidance in due course. FSA Scotland is revising earlier guidance issued in January 2003 and this will be available shortly.
Changes made to the guidance issued in December 2001
The guidance sets out the controls which apply to private kills and maintains the advice in the guidance issued in December 2001 that, except in certain limited circumstances, private on-farm slaughter of animals is illegal. However, the guidance has been revised to: