VAAFM Explains On- Farm Slaughter - Recording Available Online
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Market’s (VAAFM) 9/15/22 virtual training on On-Farm Slaughter aimed to explain on-farm slaughter in a practical and meaningful way. VAAFM reiterated the requirements announced on 1/6/22 that owners must be present during the act of slaughter, as well as their obligation to hire itinerant slaughterers directly and transport their carcasses to custom processors themselves - though neither requirement appear feasible for many. While VAAFM staff allowed plenty of time for discussion, equity issues arose like “What if a person can’t attend because they have a disability?” According to VAAFM staff, each household should be able to send an agent (without allowing the use of agents from outside of the household). Discussion also arose around the question of why the farmer wouldn’t be allowed to function as an agent - especially when some whole, half, or quarter of the livestock is for the farm’s own personal use. This discussion continues to lead Rural Vermont to raise legal concerns about the legitimacy of these interpretations offered by the Agency. An Agency's discretion ends where the law at hand (here 6 V.S.A. § 3311a) is rendered impractical - or absurd - through the administration of the law.
Rather than offering viable pathways to on-farm slaughter, VAAFM prioritized exploring other slaughter strategies at the virtual meeting, especially utilizing or starting custom slaughterhouses while also gauging pathways to fund NEW “Rigs” - trailers used for on-farm slaughter that would include infrastructure and transport capacity, and when used, would not require owners to be present for the outdoor on-farm slaughter by an itinerant slaughterer. Farmers were confused about how this idea could be cost effective and meaningfully different from the current practice. After the event, we heard the following from attendees:
“There is so little connection to [VAAFM interpretation to] reality in that picture that it borders on the ridiculous. [… What does their] idea for how the OFS system should work, actually do to improve the quality and care involved in getting the meat to the ultimate user? The slaughter is still done by the same professional, the offal is still disposed of by the farmer, now the user has to transport his lamb carcass to a butcher. How - in the trunk of his prius? It's just a cumbersome stack of unnecessary, ineffective requirements that accomplish nothing and doom the small farmer's chances of sustainability.” - Anonymous
“I have worked/spoken with 4 itinerant slaughters and all agree that they do not have time or energy to speak with and schedule every individual owner for a harvest of multiple animals- it is difficult enough to connect with one agent that acts on their behalf to schedule. They are on farms and on the road, or at a job they work, not sitting at a desk with a calendar in front of them. I typically schedule the next harvest during the present harvest because it is so difficult to connect otherwise.” - Rev. Moretti, Murmuration Farm, Fairfax Vermont
On the positive side - VAAFM did express preliminary support for an approach to amend the federal personal use exemption to alleviate this interpretation dispute.
Please do raise your questions and express your areas of concern to Julie Boisvert (Meat Inspection Chief at VAAFM, julie.boisvert@vermont.gov) and CC or contact caroline@ruralvermont.org.
Watch Full Recording Here