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Natural Resources Building
P.O. Box 42560
1111 Washington ST SE
Olympia, WA 98504-2560
Phone: (360) 902-1800

Custom Meat Record Keeping Tips for Farmers

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Home / Departments / Business and Marketing Support / Small Farm / Meat and Poultry Assistance / Resources / Custom Meat Record Keeping Tips for Farmers

What do you need today?

Are you are a farmer or rancher who sells Custom livestock shares? 

Here are some record-keeping tips -- to help ensure you are meeting the conditions of the Custom Exemption.  

Under the Custom Exemption to the Federal Meat Inspection Act (9 CFR 303.1), livestock may be harvested and processed on behalf of an individual consumer or household that owns the livestock (or a partial “share” of the livestock) at a Custom Meat Facility that is licensed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The individual or household must own the livestock before the animal is slaughtered. The meat may be consumed only by the livestock or share owner, their household, and non-paying guests.  The meat may not be sold or distributed outside the owner’s household.
 

Farmers & ranchers selling livestock that are processed for customers at a WSDA-licensed Custom Meat Facility will want to:

  1. Keep records that show a unique customer becoming the new owner (or partial owner) of the livestock BEFORE the animal was harvested; AND
  2. Keep records that show the customer becoming the owner of a UNIQUE animal; AND
  3. Make sure the customer receives meat ONLY from the animal they own (or partially own), and from NO other animal(s).
 

Records should include:

  • Information for each customer (the new livestock/share owner), including names, addresses, and contact information.
  • Detailed description of the unique livestock changing ownership, such as: species, breed, color, sex, approximate weight, age, ear tag number, or other identifying marks.
  • Share size – most commonly a whole, half, quarter, or eighth of an animal.
  • Estimated harvest (slaughter) date.
  • List of activities the farmer may do on behalf of the new livestock owner (customer), such as: housing and care of livestock until the estimated date of harvest; scheduling and coordinating with a WSDA-licensed slaughterer and butcher; delivering meat from the butcher to the customer.
  • Date and signatures acknowledging change of ownership of the livestock (or share of the livestock)
 

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • How many “shares” are allowed per animal – in other words, how many customers can be the owners of one animal?  It is recommended to divide livestock ownership into no more than 8 shares.  More shares per animal can increase the risk of non-compliance with food safety and traceability requirements of the Custom Exemption.
  • Can the customer receive all of their share as ground meat?  Yes, the customer may receive some or all of their livestock share as ground meat.  However, the ground meat they receive may be derived ONLY from the animal they own or partially own, and from no other animal.
  • How long should the farmer keep these records?  The farmer, slaughterer, and butcher must maintain and make records available upon request to USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) for at least one year.
 
Information provided here is our best understanding of the laws and regulations at the time of publication. If there is a conflict between what is written and what is contained in law, the applicable law prevails.  Laws and regulations are subject to change. Please contact WSDA program staff with your questions.