Selling venison

[BushBoy6.5]

Yep, it is a bit crazy!
However, regarding hanging it in your fridge for two weeks - you are still responsible for supplying safe food under the Food Safety Act 1990 and Reg 178/2002.
It's probably best and easiest just to register as a Food Business. It isn't difficult and the local council are generally very helpful and supportive to those deemed to be approaching the task in a responsible manner.
MS

Agree with the above. I have a purpose-built deer larder facility and am registered with my council as a food business, with regular audits in place, with a full HAACP etc. In order to stay under the purview of the local council and not fall under the FSA's authority (which is a level of pain you don't want to go to - veterinary inspections, lots of paperwork, lots of insurance etc.), provided I deal in 'limited quantities' of deer (which is completely open-ended; there is no set number which you will find in statute anywhere that I or my local EHO are aware of) and provided that I trade within a set distance from my facility (so, no online sales to other parts of the UK), it's all fine. I am not an AGHE, either, which means I can take in from other stalkers as well as bring my own beasts in. I am just a 'food business regulated by the local council' (albeit with some purpose-built facilities with two chillers, waste-water treatment plant, pest control contract, animal by-product removal contract, full HAACP etc. etc. - the council loves all of this as it limits the risk dramatically).

With respect to selling 'in the fur' to the local pub, the risk falls heavily on the buyer and their licence with the council if something goes wrong. If they don't, for example, have a proper HAACP with segregation for the skinning and butchering etc. (which practically NONE of them do, I can assure you!), and customers fall ill, that's primarily on them. Theoretically you as the stalker could come under scrutiny, and the council may want to see what your provenance and food-safety compliance might be, but frankly I doubt that most councils' EHOs have the resources or interest to do this - I've certainly not heard of that happening in my area. I do sell whole/quartered carcasses to restaurants and butchers, and they pay a higher per Kg price than they would buying 'off the tailgate', but they know this and they are happy to keep buying from me because they get clean, skinned meat (all shot damage removed), from a clean facility, in a mutton sack with a provenance tag and a proper commercial invoice (so, full traceability and accountability for their own customers).

 

[slider]

Wild game guide from Food Standards will give you the answers

 

[VSS]

I am not an AGHE, either, which means I can take in from other stalkers as well as bring my own beasts in.

If you're not an AGHE then you can't take in beasts from other stalkers, unless the other stalkers are named as part of your food business registration, or unless the deer were shot under your supervision (eg, guided stalking client).

provided that I trade within a set distance from my facility (so, no online sales to other parts of the UK), it's all fine.

You can do online sales.

 

[Free range rob]

If you're not an AGHE then you can't take in beasts from other stalkers, unless the other stalkers are named as part of your food business registration, or unless the deer were shot under your supervision (eg, guided stalking client).

You can do online sales.

The ‘to other parts of the Uk’ is the critical bit to which I think he may have been referring.

When I done that first registration I was informed it was within my own county or 30 miles of.

Assume that still stands and has not been changed

 

[VSS]

The ‘to other parts of the Uk’ is the critical bit to which I think he may have been referring.

When I done that first registration I was informed it was within my own county or 30 miles of.

Assume that still stands and has not been changed

I think you'll find the distance restriction applies only to supply of game meat to other retail establishments.
Online sales direct to the final consumer aren't distance restricted, as far as I am aware.

 

[Free range rob]

I think you'll find the distance restriction applies only to supply of game meat to other retail establishments.
Online sales direct to the final consumer aren't distance restricted, as far as I am aware.

Ok, I’m not 100% on that, I didn’t actually delve too deep as it wasn’t relevant to me and was a while back, I just recall there was a county line and distance involved, something that’s worth checking if it involves you though.

 

[VSS]

Ok, I’m not 100% on that, I didn’t actually delve too deep as it wasn’t relevant to me and was a while back, I just recall there was a county line and distance involved, something that’s worth checking if it involves you though.

Here you go:

 

[Free range rob]

Am I reading that right, because it looks like that only covers ‘in fur or feather’ ?

 

[VSS]

Am I reading that right, because it looks like that only covers ‘in fur or feather’ ?

No, you're not reading it right. It says "wild game  meat", which means  not in fur or feather.
The last box on page 11. Not the grey highlighted boxes.

 

[Free range rob]

No, you're not reading it right. It says "wild game  meat", which means  not in fur or feather.
The last box on page 11. Not the grey highlighted boxes.

Yep, can see it now, I was reading the wrong part as usual.
So it seems your right, and if supplying to end consumer it can be anywhere in Uk, but Not retail establishments which are bound by the distance limit.

 

[VSS]

Yep, can see it now, I was reading the wrong part as usual.
So it seems your right, and if supplying to end consumer it can be anywhere in Uk, but Not retail establishments which are bound by the distance limit.

Yup, that's it.
It's all there in the FSA Wild Game Guide. It doesn't matter what your EHO tells you, or your game dealer tells you, or you read on here, just stick to that definitive document and you can't go wrong.
(There is an equivalent document for Scotland, where the legislation is a little different from England and Wales).

 

[Free range rob]

Yup, that's it.
It's all there in the FSA Wild Game Guide. It doesn't matter what your EHO tells you, or your game dealer tells you, or you read on here, just stick to that definitive document and you can't go wrong.
(There is an equivalent document for Scotland, where the legislation is a little different from England and Wales).

I agree with that, my EHO is a lovely helpful bloke, but didn’t know everything of top of his head and had to check against this on a couple of points, as I’m sure any possible prosecutions would be referred against this as well