Venison Dealers License Approved (now with pics)

david1976

Well-Known Member
The Environmental Health came out to inspect my garage this morning, and the good news is I have been given the all clear for my VDL :D

from outside (it's windy)
P2260109.jpg


all enclosed
P2260106.jpg


curtain open to get in
P2260103.jpg


the roof
P2260105.jpg


to show the lid can come off
P2260104.jpg


boxes left to right for bones, for freezer, for cuts
P2260107.jpg


shelving
P2260102.jpg


tools
P2260108.jpg


For the garage area

1. Bought plastic shelving units from B&Q £20 each
2. Put everything on the shelves in plastic recycling boxes (from council)
3. Put IKEA shower curtains over the front of each unit to prevent splashes £0.87 each


For the sink area

1. Off cut piece of worktop screwed to wall - free
2. Small sink from IKEA £14
3. 5l over sink water heater £65
4. misc bits of pipe etc £15

For the garage walls

1. IKEA shower curtains along length of wall and behind sink for splash back. £0.87 each
2. Nylon Line and eyelet screws for attaching shower curtains to wall £4.00 from B&Q

Miscellaneous

1. Rat/mouse Poison and a covered bait box £15 from B&Q
2. Washable apron £7.00
3. Saw £5.00 B&Q
4. Boning Knife £9.00
5. Chain link glove - present for xmas
6. Plastic boxes of varying sizes from IKEA for putting cuts of meat into, putting bones and waste into, keeping cleaning products and knifes etc in and most importantly for putting deer in the freezer so each deer can be kept in a different box (that got me extra points) £15.00
7. Stainless steel table from gumtree £40.00
8. pulley system from LIDL £3.50
9. yacht varnish for any wood £5.50
10. Packet of large S hooks from IKEA about £2.00

The Actual Preparation area

1. wooden frame suspended from ceiling with removable wooden frame roof £15.00
2. IKEA shower curtains - 1 for the roof (as this has to be removable and cleanable, and 1 for each of the four sides of the frame to hang down to the floor.
3. linoleum for the floor i stand on - free offcuts from village hall

The curtains are hung on nails and overlap by 2 holes at each of the corners. These can be replaced or cleaned after each butchering session.
 
Blimey David, you certainly did that on a budget! :eek:
Just goes to show though that you only need the basics.
I have them coming out on Friday morning as mine is up for inspection again. I think it comes around every two years.
One question though - I am registered as a "Food business" and yet you mentioned VDL? I've heard of an Approved Game Handling Establishment (AGHE) but not a VDL? :confused: I'm now off to 'Google' it! :lol:
Well done!
 
VDL

I'm now going to answer my own question above!
I assume you are North of the border in Scotland David as the DCS best practise explains all about VDL's.
In England it is Registered Food Business or Approved Game Handling Establishment.
I'm glad I cleared that up for myself! :confused: :lol:
 
David,

Well done, thats sounds like a good result...If you don't mind me asking, but which council do you come under? Also, you don't mention any chiller?

I must I am surprised they allowed you to use a wooden frame, as bare wood is usually frowned on in Larders these days,

Regards,

Peter
 
Pete E said:
David,

Well done, thats sounds like a good result...If you don't mind me asking, but which council do you come under? Also, you don't mention any chiller?

I must I am surprised they allowed you to use a wooden frame, as bare wood is usually frowned on in Larders these days,

Regards,

Peter

East Lothian Council.

My chiller is currently broken so it is granted on the proviso that i butcher on return to the garage and put straight into a fridge or freezer. I am looking for a chiller though if anyone has one for sale?

I sanded down the wooden frame and painted it with yacht varnish £5.50 from B&Q. This makes ot waterproof and was also put on any bits of wood near to the sink to prevent it soaking in.
 
GHE

Gents

South of the Border you are either: Jo bloggs who shoots the odd deer & butchers it for his own use, (or gives it to a few friends I guess).

Or you are a GHE which is an approved Game handeling establishment, where you have to get qualified meat inspections form an FSA vet, at the very resonable cost of £47.50 + VAT per hour, I think they have to be in daily assuming you process each day that is.

On the other hand you can be somwhere in between the two-Which is what we are & that is called a Primary Producer-with an EHO approved processing plant at home & just selling deer taken from our own ground & I would guess we now process about 700 a year & these are for retail sale at Farmers Markets or direct to Catering trade & Butchers. Doing it this way we stay under local EHO & dont have all the agro with the FSA & increased costs.

Its a great little business but very labouring-as the buggers dont cut themselves up!

Good luck with the VDL buisness up north of the great wall.

Lee
 
so where does a FBO fit in all of this, or is this not applicable as you are only handling venison
 
When I first registered as a FBO I could handle small quantites of large game animals. However, it transpired that a small quantity is less than 300 animals a year!!! :eek:
You should be registered as an FBO even to sell animals to a game dealer I believe. Even then you have to sign a form as a "Trained Hunter" to clear the animal to enter the food chain. The wild game handling guide should give you all the info you need. ;)
See page 4 here:
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/wildgameguide1oct08.pdf
 
David
Just the ticket to start a right home production unit ,Many of us aspire , to doing what you have achieved , well done for getting off your arse and realizing potential .
Regards
Trapper
 
stone said:
so where does a FBO fit in all of this, or is this not applicable as you are only handling venison

In England and I assume Wales also, if you use a premise to prepare food of any type for onward sale on aregular basis, you should to be registered as an FBO.

This will usually involve some sort of inspection, but they will judge the premises according to how you will be using them. So if you have a very small scale food enterprise operating out of your house kitchen, you'll not be required to take the same measures as say a butchers shop...The main reason behind this registration is traceability if an outbreak of food poisoning were to occur.

So somebody operating *from a premisis* selling venison using the "Hunter Exeption" or selling to a Approved Game Handling Establishment, should be regsitered as an FBO.

For more details see http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/qandaannex.pdf

This includes anybody who has a small chiller and uses it to hold a couple of carcasses before selling them to a Game dealer (AGHE). "Situation H" in the above Q&A guide explains it in more detail.

The rule change significantly if you wish to buy in deer carcasses and then sell them, or the venison in any manner, in which case you need to be registered as AGHE. This I would imagine is when is when some Local Authorities require a well specified Larder/premises as per the various regulations.

Regards,

Peter
 
chiller

just bought a second hand chilled drinks unit, the type you get your drinks from in the garage, double doors, lift out shelves, lighting ,stainless steel interior etc, will take 4 roe easy + other game, for £100, best thing going ,why pay upwards of £1000, loads about due to woolies closing
don't know if anyone else on here uses one ??
 
Re: chiller

happyhunt said:
just bought a second hand chilled drinks unit, the type you get your drinks from in the garage, double doors, lift out shelves, lighting ,stainless steel interior etc, will take 4 roe easy + other game, for £100, best thing going ,why pay upwards of £1000, loads about due to woolies closing
don't know if anyone else on here uses one ??

Thats a very popular option, but it can be a bit hit or miss.

From what I understand, these cabinets are not really designed to chill anything along the lines of a warm carcass, so if you put a couple or more in, they can "overwhelm" the chiller.

Depending on the type of unit, what can happen is that part of it freezes solid as it works overtime trying to bring the temp in the main compartment down.

I'm not sure how common the problem is, but I know of at least a couple of people who its happened to..In both cases, they were storing fallow prickets/does, so it may only be a problem because of their bigger body mass..

The answer is to allow the carcasses to cool naturally to room temp before putting them in the chiller, and also set the stat to quite a warm temp initially (but below room temp) and then turn it down in stages until the cabinet is at the temp you want, hopefully somewhere between 1C and 5C...

Regards,

Peter
 
David,

Lots of useful ideas there, I think I'll be buying a few of those Ikea shower curtains, I was contemplating what to do with splashing blood around the garage.

Where are you putting your winch? Will it be above the curtained area? Does that mean you leave the roof bit off whilst you've got something hanging? I ended up buying 2 winches from lidl, just to be sure!

Cheers,
Mat
 
Mat said:
David,

Lots of useful ideas there, I think I'll be buying a few of those Ikea shower curtains, I was contemplating what to do with splashing blood around the garage.

Where are you putting your winch? Will it be above the curtained area? Does that mean you leave the roof bit off whilst you've got something hanging? I ended up buying 2 winches from lidl, just to be sure!

Cheers,
Mat

The winch will be going next to the curtained area, i got some muslin curtains from IKEA again which i am putting around a hula hoop to hang round the deer to stop flies getting onto it. A tray will go on the bottom hula hoop for blood and the top will be secured around the rope.

The shower curtains are the way forward, they are only £0.87 each and are 180cm squared so if it gets torn or to dirty not to expensive to replace.
 
I have just spoken with the council for clarification with regards to what license i require and they have told me the following:

I fill in the application form and send them the fee of £87.50 for a three year license (it was only £8.00 in November 2008!!!!!!).

They then inform the police that i have applied and they have to agree i am a fit and proper person to hold a license (they better as i work for them!).

Once this is agreed environmental health are asked for a report (which i got yesterday) and the license is granted.

It is verbally agreed at the moment and confirmed when they cash my cheque.

I do not require any other form of license apparently and this allows me to both buy and sell venison.
 
Back
Top