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Haha, well, I learned a lot of things, so I guess it went pretty well. First, and most importantly, (speaking for Michigan,) if you're processing on a small level, there is no point getting certified, and you won't be able to afford it.
*He estimated the cost to legitimize my garage/workshop/barn/processing area would be $3-5000. I would need to run hot and cold water, (hose water won't do,) hook it into my septic system (assuming I didn't need to change my 2 year old tanks out for bigger ones to handle water on a commercial level.) Dumping your wastewater on the ground is a no-no.
*There has to be a dedicated area for the processing, meaning I would have to divide my garage in half with a solid wall, which would mean no more storing all my misc. garage items in the middle of the floor. EVERYTHING has to be washable, which would mean covering it with FRP board at $27/sheet.
*Garage floor would need to be sealed.
But... he DID say a few good things that I will choose to read a bit more into. Again, this was an inspector from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, so this applies to Michigan only.
*While I didn't ask him about selling them, (I didn't want to get into his thoughts on the Salatin model,) he said that processing birds for others is fine, especially on a small scale. He said I "might want to avoid" selling them to people I don't know. Most of my birds go to friends, coworkers, etc, so that was good news.
*He mentioned an example of deer processors, which is quite close to the Salatin model, other than obviously the deer aren't raised on site- he said that unless you are offering custom services with a different level of processing, such as jerky, sausage, etc, processing is generally considered a contract between the processor and customer, and they wouldn't really get involved.
*There are simply too few inspectors for them to get involved in issues of small operations, and in Michigan, this is only going to get worse (better??.) Due to the state budget, HIS office is getting closed, which means even more area to be spread out between inspectors. They barely have enough time/money to do the huge corporations.
*So, at no point did he tell me I couldn't do what I've been doing, but he did literally tell me on several occasions not to bother trying to comply and get a license.
I think I'll just read up a bit more on the laws, do what I can to comply on the level I'm willing to spend, (as the law is there because it's obviously more sanitary,) revise my contract, and add some labels to my birds. Other than that, I'm happy with the way I'm doing it.
My only question is, I wonder if I can get the insurance that others have mentioned here without a state license?? I would guess not.
