Resources

Not all meat-processing facilities are the same. It is important to know the different types of slaughter and processing plants operating in the United States and more importantly for farmers, […]

Some cultures have very strict meat handling requirements. 1. Halal Requirements Muslim consumers require their meats to be “halal” or “lawful” to their religious scriptures. For many Muslims, this means […]

NOTE: For our purpose, import and export will be defined as a transaction between two countries (as opposed to two places). The destination of the end product may in some […]

NOTE: In this section and the one following on Imports and Exports, we address the movement of meat and meat products. Movement of live animals in interstate and international trade […]

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines commerce as “the exchange or transportation of meat and poultry products between States, U.S. territories […]

Regulations for livestock slaughter and meat processing vary depending on which market channel the farmer ultimately chooses. The regulations are not consistent across the three different animal classifications, and the […]

A farmer must determine the legal classification for her type of livestock or poultry. She must decide if the animals being raised are amenable or not. Amenable is defined as […]

The purposes of government regulations for the inspection of meat and poultry products are to: 1) prevent the sale of adulterated, contaminated, or otherwise unsafe livestock products; 2) prevent misbranding; […]

The United States acknowledged early on that poorly managed livestock and their products could pose a threat for human health. In 1865, USDA Secretary Isaac Newton urged Congress to enact […]

The purpose of this resource guide is to help New York farmers better understand the current regulations governing the slaughtering, processing, and marketing of meat animals. Two ways for farmers […]