how can i sell meaties at farmers market and localy without getting in trouble? i live in a small town in upstate N.Y and lots of people ask me about buying chicken from me and i don't know what to tell them . i have a nice clean place to process in and they come and see itand want to buy ckicken. it'snot organic but way better then at the groc store. any help you can give PLEASE!! thanks
Talk to your county Ag extension office first. Then talk to your city health department. If your city doesn't have one or know the regulations then talk to your county health department and or dept of Ag. The last stop is the state department of health and or dept of Ag. Each state, county, and city has different regulations as to what you can and can not do with regards to live and processed poultry.
Here is how it works in my state, YMMV. Every state allows for a certain number of on-property sales, regulated by the federal government. The Federal standard is 1000, some states differ but everyone allows atleast 1000. In Ohio, I can take my birds to a state ag inspected facility and sell off property. I have a processor that is state ag certified so I can legally sell my birds in the state. There are a few ways around/within the laws. First, sell the bird before it is dead. If you have a contract with a purchaser while the bird is alive, you have in effect sold them a pet. Now if the pet were to die prior to delivery, and the pet were bagged up ready for use, then it would be a pet sale. Second, sell on property and live within the federal exemption. Both of these require your customer to come to your property, almost every state requires off-farm (Farmers Markets included) sales to occur within some kind of inspection guidelines. Unless your 4H extensions have permission for the club members to sell at a farmers market, uninspected.
