Carcass prep and larder facilities advice

trucraft

Well-Known Member
We are now getting increasing amount of enquires from people wanting butchered venison.
I can see there is a market for it sold in half's and quarters.
I realise that we will need to register as a food business and therefore have adequate facilities.
My plan is to have my local butcher joint the carcass.
I have a large commercial fridge that will hold 4 fallow (max) currently at my yard in a stable block.
We are currently culling 15 - 25 deer a year.

My question is how is this kind of business run on a reasonable set up cost?

I am thinking of converting a lorry chiller body as a prep room with potential to make part of it a walk in chiller when we require more space.

At the moment I store deer in my chiller and then skin them out in the stable and take them to my butcher but this is not going to pass any council reg.

What are others in this situation doing?
Would really appreciate any advice.
 
I was having a look at SMH Game Hygiene's website and, whilst they have some great kit, its not cheap either!

That said they do offer the ability to hire game larders out, so that might be a more cost effective way of doing things? I dont know what the monthly cost is but the maths might work out depending on what you're getting for each carcass.

The benefit of this is that it definitely will pass muster with the council (one would hope anyway!!).
 
Thanks Stubear,

They are one of the companies I have looked at and I think trade members on here.

Out of my price range for such a small set up as mine.
Also hire would be an option if we were culling intensively on a given month. I intend to sell my venison spread over the whole season so I don't see it being ideal.
 
Trubear you will be surprised what the council will put through. I'm licensed to sell venison. Skinned in the garage quartered and chilled in a large fridge, cut up in the kitchen and vacuum packed and frozen. The regulations for processing game aren't anywhere near as tough as processing domestic animals like sheep and pigs. Regulating something that is eviscerated in a field is a tricky business. I was advised to do a food hygiene certificate that you can do online. You need to be a trained hunter but there's no definition of what a trained hunter is in the regulations. And you can only sell small quantities - again though there's no definition of what small quantities are! The only regulation that is actually defined is that it can only be sold locally - local is defined as within the county and within 30miles of the county border or halfway across the next county which ever is closest. You will have to do a HACCP plan but it's all very straightforward. Speak to your local council, the bloke I dealt with was so helpful and had real world experience and wasn't just a pen pusher.
 
If you have your DSC1 you already have your hygine cert with that, I am licenced to sell venison, comes out of chiller and is butchered in kitchen then returned to fridge for storage and vacuum packed before sale, if you are only selling what you shoot its ok have a word with your local council food dept
you only have to be a registered game dealer if you are buying in carcasses
Ray
 
Afraid that's not quite correct,I see that you are in Scotland Ray, in Scotland unlike England you must be a registered venison dealer to sell venison to the public, if you are not a registered dealer you may only sell it to someone who is .
The law in Scotland is completely different from that in England .
 
Afraid that's not quite correct,I see that you are in Scotland Ray, in Scotland unlike England you must be a registered venison dealer to sell venison to the public, if you are not a registered dealer you may only sell it to someone who is .
The law in Scotland is completely different from that in England .

Not according to Perth council, as long as you are selling only what you shoot ie small quantities , when they asked me how many I thought , go for it and said no more than 3 per week (carcases) and was told it was ok
you need to be a registered dealer if you buy in carcases, if you shoot in a syndicate you can sell your excess venison to the public by registering as a food business, if you pm me your phone number I will be happy to talk you through the process
I was looking into becoming a registered venison dealer untill I came accross a post on here explaining the process and its free to register
Ray
 
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Affairs you are wrong,trouble is many don't know the law including the councils, many doing it and OK until the proverbial
hits the fan check the law with SNH if in any doubt.

What you quote is the lasw in England, Scots law is completely different.
 
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I think you will find this is a DSC1 question, it states that in Scotland you need to be a registered venison dealer to sell it
 
Have a look at what this guy did with a 20ft shipping container which should give you some ideas and inspiration. It basically had a small walk in cold room stuck in the back and a butchery in the front. The lorry chiller would work if you just blocked the end with a chiller wall/door in a similar manner. I use a 20ft 3-phase lorry back on one estate which only cost about £1500.
http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....bile-butchery-container-with-built-in-chiller
Hope this helps.
MS
 
That's just what I was thinking of doing Monkey Spanker.
Really nice set up. Thanks for the link.
How much effort and extra cost was involved to convert your lorry back ?
 
That's just what I was thinking of doing Monkey Spanker.
Really nice set up. Thanks for the link.
How much effort and extra cost was involved to convert your lorry back ?

Very little!
It is quite basic and only has a sectional scaffold frame inside. We only use it for hanging up to 20-30 fallow maximum prior to game dealer collection.
It could easily be converted to similar to the link though.
Suitable flooring and some parlour board ceilings and walls and you are pretty much done!
http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/search/go?w=parlour board
MS
 
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