Do I need to Register as a Food Business - simple guide

[75]

There is often conflicting advice given on this (including by local EHOs as this is often not an area they deal with often). A summary is below but the controlling guidance document with much more detail can be found here: Guidance for primary producers and food business operators on the hygienic production of wild game

Game is defined as Large Wild Game (wild deer, wild boar) and Small Wild Game (which includes game birds and rabbits, hares and rodents).

There is a general requirement in all cases (except domestic consumptions) that general Food Law / obligation to supply safe food is still applicable and the guidance below is only with regards to Registration with your Local Authority (LA) as a Food Business:

Nature of Supply	Description / restrictions	Trained Person status	Food Business Registration with LA	HACCP
Domestic private consumption	Self or friends and family - cannot be passed on to others by friends and family	Encouraged	No	No
Direct supply of wild game to final consumer or local retailer who supplies to final consumer	For example, local butcher or restaurant. Within Local Authority area, neighbouring LA or within 30 miles of boundary of LA area	Encouraged	No (but encouraged to contact LA for guidance)	No
Direct supply of wild game MEAT to final consumer or local retailer who supplies to final consumer	As previous but this is a carcass that has been processed / butchered. This included skinning only.	Encouraged	Yes	Yes
Supply of wild game to Approved Game Handling Establishment (AGHE)	Supply of whole carcass in the skin to game dealer	Yes	Yes	Yes

@admin - can we sticky this one as it keeps coming up?

 

[Sandy25]

Many thanks for that, it has simplified and explained the rats nest of regulations very succinctly!

Much appreciated

 

[wytonpjs]

@75 Great idea but you have simplified perhaps too far, eg second row "Direct supply of wild game....." does not fully reflect the statements of "Primary Wild Game Products" and indeed, the FSA's definitions of "Wild Game" versus "Wild Game Meat" so I would be more explicit in that row's Description/Restriction that it relates to carcasses in fur. Your bold text Meat does emphasis this point in the next row but sadly some of the audience miss the subtleties. Maybe also include a direct reference to the full tables on pages 11-14 in your link.

@csl I wholly support the idea of this being a sticky

 

[co’den]

I’m very new to this and I’m trying to get my head around the rules. Apologies if this is a stupid question.

If I sit within the “domestic private consumption” category it looks like I can process and supply meat to friends and family for their own private consumption without registering with the council, holding a dealers license or trained hunter status etc. By “supply” I assume this means I can take payment for the meat?

 

[WW.]

Deleted.

 

[r6demon]

Great post, thank you. I am still perplexed, why you can supply to a butcher or restaurant without registering or having approved hunter status, but you need it to supply to a game dealer. What is the rationale for this?

 

[VSS]

Great post, thank you. I am still perplexed, why you can supply to a butcher or restaurant without registering or having approved hunter status, but you need it to supply to a game dealer. What is the rationale for this?

Because a game dealer may be selling carcasses on to a wholesaler, rather than directly to the end user, so they could potentially end up anywhere, so it's higher risk.

 

[HonestJohn]

Great post, thank you. I am still perplexed, why you can supply to a butcher or restaurant without registering or having approved hunter status, but you need it to supply to a game dealer. What is the rationale for this?

Not in Scotland i believe, but in Scotland you can supply to a GD without registering as long as it’s straight from the field and no middle storage stops such as your shed or garage.

 

[Ploddy Paul]

Just to muddy the waters, there is registration and approval. Registration is where you notify the council 28 days before trading and you don’t need consent to start trading.
I’m not 100% sure but I think this would be sufficient to supply in skin.
However if you want to process the carcass, ie mince meat or meat products you need to be approved by the local authority or food standards agency and you are not allowed to trade until your application has been processed and you have been issued with an approval document.

 

[User00056]

And don't forget, the Scottish legislation is different

 

[homer]

And don't forget, the Scottish legislation is different

I read somewhere that Scotland is talking about scraping the venison dealers license.

 

[User00056]

I read somewhere that Scotland is talking about scraping the venison dealers license.

Yeah. Likely so they can avoid removing the idiotic condition in the Wild Game Guide that demands anyone producing venison has to be party to the actual hunt. So. Despite holding that license, being inspected and approved, insured, having DSC1 with the large game and trained hunter, and having jumped through every hoop my local council can throw at me, I can't buy a carcass from a DSC holding stalker unless I was standing beside him when he took the shot.

It's f*cking infuriating

 

[VSS]

Yeah. Likely so they can avoid removing the idiotic condition in the Wild Game Guide that demands anyone producing venison has to be party to the actual hunt. So. Despite holding that license, being inspected and approved, insured, having DSC1 with the large game and trained hunter, and having jumped through every hoop my local council can throw at me, I can't buy a carcass from a DSC holding stalker unless I was standing beside him when he took the shot.

It's f*cking infuriating

I think your Wild Game Guide must be slightly different from ours.
As a "small retailer" I can buy in carcasses from suitably qualified stalkers within a certain geographically restricted area. (I forget the exact details off the top of my head).
There is a little loophole in the wording that can be taken advantage off, without the need to become an AGHE.

 

[User00056]

I think your Wild Game Guide must be slightly different from ours

It is. Just that one paragraph. The rest of the document is identical. I've been talking about it with BASC to see if there's anything that can be done to remove it

 

[sauer]

removing the venison dealers licence will remove a piece of paper and associated cost but it means will do absolutely nothing to allow us north of the border to do same as yourselves or provide a butchery service to other stalkers, until the wording is that wildgame guidance paragraph is changed

Paul

 

[25 Sharps]

Just to muddy the waters, there is registration and approval. Registration is where you notify the council 28 days before trading and you don’t need consent to start trading.
I’m not 100% sure but I think this would be sufficient to supply in skin.
However if you want to process the carcass, ie mince meat or meat products you need to be approved by the local authority or food standards agency and you are not allowed to trade until your application has been processed and you have been issued with an approval document.

If you sell in the skin to a local retailer who sells direct to the public, you do not need to register at all.

 

[wytonpjs]

If you sell in the skin to a local retailer who sells direct to the public, you do not need to register at all.

A couple of slides from the presentation I did to South Glos EHOs last year highlighting the absurdity of the current rules for England & Wales - red cross equals not required, green cross required:

 

[ruger77]

I’ve just registered with my LA it was a simple process . Just checked the chiller asked a few questions I got the impression they don’t know a great deal about what we do ,got my paper work through within 48 hrs

 

[muddy42]

I stalk in Scotland and England. So many of these "definitive guides" fail to mention which jurisdiction they apply to.

Every few weeks there is a thread like this on SD and I try to understand the rules, then my head hurts and I give up.

I am so confused, my EHO doesn't have a clue. Shout out to BDS or a shooting organisation to resolve this.

 

[slider]

I stalk in Scotland and England. So many of these "definitive guides" fail to mention which jurisdiction they apply to.

Every few weeks there is a thread like this on SD and I try to understand the rules, then my head hurts and I give up.

I am so confused, my EHO doesn't have a clue. Shout out to BDS or a shooting organisation to resolve this.

Well as this one is produced by Food Standards Scotland Wild game | Food Standards Scotland
and this refers to England and Wales on the front page it fairly obvious which jurisdiction they apply to.
Wild game guidance