Would you like to sell your venison locally?

[Conor O'Gorman]

Taste of Game and BASC have prepared a quick guide on how to start your own venison business during these challenging times.

Click the link below for a quick guide on how to sell venison locally in England and Wales.

Get down to business – our guide to selling venison locally -

Taste of Game and BASC have prepared a quick guide on how to start your own venison business during these challenging times.

basc.org.uk

 

[VSS]

Thanks for that.

 

[devon deer stalker]

Thanks, just a couple of points missing, well actually a few, advice on labelling, trading standards and inspection of weighing equipment, insurance, and finally, you sell anything for a profit and you must inform HMRC, I can't remember who it was on here but he got investigated by HMRC once, he said it was hell.
Would you agree @Conor O'Gorman ?
Cheers
Richard

 

[25 Sharps]

Taste of Game and BASC have prepared a quick guide on how to start your own venison business during these challenging times.

Click the link below for a quick guide on how to sell venison locally in England and Wales.

Get down to business – our guide to selling venison locally -

Taste of Game and BASC have prepared a quick guide on how to start your own venison business during these challenging times.

basc.org.uk

Very handy thank you.

Only thing a bit odd is that it recommends selling burgers or sausages but warns about risks of selling minced meat due to risk of contamination. Surely burger and sausages are made of mince??

 

[Jimnim74]

very useful thanks

 

[spiker76]

Some may find this useful

Allergen guidance for food businesses

Guidance for food businesses on providing allergen information and best practice for handling allergens.

www.food.gov.uk

 

[willie_gunn]

Thanks, just a couple of points missing, well actually a few, advice on labelling, trading standards and inspection of weighing equipment, insurance, and finally, you sell anything for a profit and you must inform HMRC, I can't remember who it was on here but he got investigated by HMRC once, he said it was hell.
Would you agree @Conor O'Gorman ?
Cheers
Richard

The page is provided as "a quick guide on how to sell venison locally", not as definitive guidelines. Given that purpose, I'd say it's actually pretty useful.

When it comes to labelling, in the FAQ's at the bottom links are provided to both the Food Standards Agency and the UK Government websites where they answer these questions.

Q. How do I package my meat?

A. Vacuum packers are easy to use and can be bought online. Familiarise yourself with the package guidelines set out by the Food Standards Agency about allergens and what information is required on the package.

For "inspection of weighing equipment", if you sell by piece rather than weight you can get away without the need for a regularly calibrated set of scales.

So far as HMRC, anyone setting up a business should be aware of the requirements, or at least if they have a modicum of common sense. Presumably any stalker is already notifying HMRC of the carcasses they are selling to the AGHE anyway?

If one wanted to be pedantic one could also criticise the advice for the fact that it doesn't included an example HACCP report, specifications and a link to a hygiene course, examples of temperature logging, no example carcass tracking report, no details of cleaning regimes, etc.

But then surely anyone contemplating setting up their own business would do the necessary research? Or at least a fraction of that undertaken when deciding which new stalking calibre to buy

 

[User00014]

Ive not notified the tax man of anything.

all the carcasses are given to me as a gift anybody have that in writing From the land owner.

Should you wish to sell a gift you don’t pay Tax on it.

 

[devon deer stalker]

The page is provided as "a quick guide on how to sell venison locally", not as definitive guidelines. Given that purpose, I'd say it's actually pretty useful.

For "inspection of weighing equipment", if you sell by piece rather than weight you can get away without the need for a regularly calibrated set of scales.

It wasn't meant as a pop at BASC, that gets done too much, more a constructive 'add on'

Regarding the calibration, that is at odds to what the trading standards said to me when they checked calibration of my scales, but of course I suspect all counties have a different interpretation although they shouldn't

Cheers

Richard

 

[User00025]

Could be well worth talking to Tax man.
Rifle
Clothing
Ammunition
FAC
Vehicles
Fuel
Dog
Accommodation
Etc,etc,etc.
He may well owe you in the end.

 

[User00014]

Could be well worth talking to Tax man.
Rifle
Clothing
Ammunition
FAC
Vehicles
Fuel
Dog
Accommodation
Etc,etc,etc.
He may well owe you in the end.

i guarantee there will be no tax to pay!

there’s no money in shooting deer Period.

 

[Olaf]

i guarantee there will be no tax to pay!

there’s no money in shooting deer Period.

I think you will find that there is lots of money made from the shooting of deer.
How do you shoot a deer period ?
Kindest regards, Olaf

 

[kes]

i guarantee there will be no tax to pay!

there’s no money in shooting deer Period.

But perhaps oodles of benefit if you sell locally - local meat - no miles, no 'factory' farming, and the growing understanding that hunting is for food and not just 'killing' from those who buy - with suitable labeling. Boar sold locally here has become a bit sought after as 'wild' food.

 

[willie_gunn]

It wasn't meant as a pop at BASC, that gets done too much, more a constructive 'add on'

Regarding the calibration, that is at odds to what the trading standards said to me when they checked calibration of my scales, but of course I suspect all counties have a different interpretation although they shouldn't

Cheers

Richard

That’s interesting about the calibration, as this is the information that I was referred to by the EHO:

“You do not have to show the weight or volume on foods sold by number, for example 2 bread rolls, provided that you can clearly see the number of items inside the packaging.”

Which can be found here: Food labelling and packaging

It relates to this labelling and packaging information: Food information to consumers: quantity labelling

She also seemed happy with the price list I suggested, which specifies that I sell fillets and haunches by species and number, e.g. “one muntjac fillet”

 

[willie_gunn]

Could be well worth talking to Tax man.
Rifle
Clothing
Ammunition
FAC
Vehicles
Fuel
Dog
Accommodation
Etc,etc,etc.
He may well owe you in the end.

Yes, I’ve been keeping receipts and records of everything I’ve purchased when setting up as a good business, such as the fridge, tables, water boiler, knives, vacuum sealer and bags, fly zapper, sharpeners, gambrels, label printer and labels, weigh scale, etc.

On top of these setup costs there are then the “transactional” costs - mileage, ammo, etc

I don’t see myself troubling HMRC in the next few years, certainly.

 

[Robs]

A farmer I know went over to deer from beef. Wanted an "easier" life he told me. After ten years of knowing him I asked whether it was worth it. No was his answer. If there was money in it farmers would be in like a shot.

I couldn't see any reference to cat2 and3 waste disposal on the BASC site. Your EHO will want to see that you play by the rules, or are we going to find heads, skeletons and skins in the local layby as we do in devon.

 

[iain0710]

Thanks - very useful. We have more Fallow than we can eat!

 

[yellow belly]

What about Scotland? We shoot loads up here but laws do differ on selling, surely trying to change this would help Scottish stalkers to sell to locals and cut out the game dealer!

 

[willie_gunn]

A farmer I know went over to deer from beef. Wanted an "easier" life he told me. After ten years of knowing him I asked whether it was worth it. No was his answer. If there was money in it farmers would be in like a shot.

I couldn't see any reference to cat2 and3 waste disposal on the BASC site. Your EHO will want to see that you play by the rules, or are we going to find heads, skeletons and skins in the local layby as we do in devon.

Very true.

When I did my food business registration the EHO called me before any visit and this was one of the things she highlighted, as once you set up as a food business you can no longer dispose of the animal by-products in the weekly food bin.

You have to register as a Cat 3 (lower-tier) waste carrier and find somewhere to dispose of the things like bones, skin, etc, - options are the local hunt, a friendly butcher, etc.

Registration is free, so long as you use the official website: Register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer

There are plenty of websites out there that will try and charge you, but the process itself is simple.

 

[devon deer stalker]

OK, some advice regarding the tax man and deer stalking, even if you are in full-time employment it takes a few minutes to register as self employed, to in effect run along side your full time job, I did this in the past, but now I am self employed.
If you actually make a profit out of deer stalking I take my hat off to you, with the few clients I take out every year and the venison I take to the game dealer I used to make a small profit, but this year. forget it, but if I make a loss great, I have 2 other self employed businesses and I can can carry the loss forward.
I have heard that HMRC will be looking into ALL avenues to claw back some cash lost this year, so whilst I agree we can on paper justify a 'loss' if you get investigated I wish you well.
But I'm not a tax expert, but some on here are, maybe they could chime in?
Cheers
Richard