Getting pigs slaughtered

trixyben

Neighbour of mine has 3 pigs which she bought as piglets and are now ready to be slaughtered, thing is she cant find anywhere that will do it for her, they arent tagged so the factory wont touch them and the butcher will happily butcher he but wont slaughter it in his shop.

Anyone know where to take them to get slaughtered?

bbam

You don't mention where in the country you are, it might help..

I will advise however to have your neighbour register for a "back yard" pig herd number.. Its free to register, just a basic inspection which is no problem..
Then you can get them slaughtered correctly.. Interestingly it costs way more to have a pig slaughtered unregistered, I've seen from €50-€75 talked about, I get mine slaughtered in a registered facility for €25.

CJhaughey

You can kill them yourselves with a .22 rifle and bring them to the butcher.
Do you know anyone with a .22 rifle?

bbam

CJhaughey wrote: »

You can kill them yourselves with a .22 rifle and bring them to the butcher.
Do you know anyone with a .22 rifle?

Seriously! , why not just bludgeon them with a big stick and save the bullet!
Get it done right, will your man with the rifle dispose of the offal. The slaughter house don't just kill, they leave them ready to butcher.

Killing pigs is a part of keeping pigs for the table, if they haddnt thought that far ahead when getting them I'd argue theyre not fit to be keeping animals.

I'm all for farming animals but they should be treated with respect and not exposed to unnecessary stress and suffering.

Rant over!

Try ringing back to the breeder, I know people who have done that and they' might allow their herd number to be used in the slaughter house.

CJhaughey

bbam wrote: »

Seriously! , why not just bludgeon them with a big stick and save the bullet!
Get it done right, will your man with the rifle dispose of the offal. The slaughter house don't just kill, they leave them ready to butcher.

Killing pigs is a part of keeping pigs for the table, if they haddnt thought that far ahead when getting them I'd argue theyre not fit to be keeping animals.

I'm all for farming animals but they should be treated with respect and not exposed to unnecessary stress and suffering.

Rant over!

Why the rant?
And why talk about bludgeoning a pig with a stick? Seriously thats caveman talk and not necessary.
I keep pigs and have done so for a good while.
From time to time it can be necessary to kill an animal and if you know how it is easy and painless and involves no suffering.
Imagine a line passing across the pigs head from ear to eye.
Where the two lines meet is the point that you need to put the bullet into.
Take the pig aside (From the other two) and put a bit of food on the ground and as he lowers his head to feed. Bang.
Pig will drop and you will need to bleed the pig straight after it drops , pushing a longish knife in just above the breastbone will accomplish that.
Not hard, not stressful, not illegal and you might learn something about butchering.
BTW you can save the blood for black pudding and the offal is mostly edible as well.
How do you think the Pig is killed by the abbatoir? Walked through a crush and either stunned or shot with a bolt gun in the same place!
This way pig doesn't smell blood or the fear of the other animals all he gets is a bit of food and then lights out.

Anti-rant over:D

Ayla

For what it's worth, killing pigs yourself is illegal. Whether or not you care about that is your own thing. :rolleyes:

I can understand why abatoirs wouldn't touch an unregistered animal. If they're found to be culling and/or processing unreg animals they can get in serious bother.

OP, the only (legal) option your neighbor has is to become registered and get a herd number. But even that will land them in some bother b/c they have to have paperwork for every pig on their site, and if they got the pigs from an unreg breeder (which I'd reason would be likely as reg breeders won't sell to unreg farmers) then they can't trace the pig's history.

Registering with the Dept of Ag is simple. At this case I'd suggest the neighbor contact the Dept to talk it over with them, and from now on take their pig owner responsibilities seriously & clean.

harr

Killing any animal you plan on eating your self is not illegal,i know a good few people who would kill there own stock and fill there freezers.If you have prof or a document stating where and why it is illegal i would be happy to be proved wrong.
I do understand why a abattoir or butcher wont do wont do it as they have to very strict in what beasts come in and out of the factory or shop.

Just found a little bit here about it,it seems pigs are ok to do your self but everything else including chickens has to be done in a abattoir,whats that all about.Link http://countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org/archive/home-kill-and-the-law__o_t__t_795.html

Ayla

harr wrote: »

Killing any animal you plan on eating your self is not illegal,i know a good few people who would kill there own stock and fill there freezers.If you have prof or a document stating where and why it is illegal i would be happy to be proved wrong.

I know it said it was illegal in the paperwork we got when we registered; I'm looking online for links via Dept of Ag but they don't have the same paperwork online. I'll look for it tonight & post later.

Also, it should be noted, just because you "know a good few people" who slaughter their own doesn't make it legal. Do you have any proof/document stating that it is? And by proof I'm looking for the official word straight from the Dept, not a chat forum.

I'd love to be wrong on this...

CJhaughey

Ayla wrote: »

I know it said it was illegal in the paperwork we got when we registered; I'm looking online for links via Dept of Ag but they don't have the same paperwork online. I'll look for it tonight & post later.

Also, it should be noted, just because you "know a good few people" who slaughter their own doesn't make it legal. Do you have any proof/document stating that it is? And by proof I'm looking for the official word straight from the Dept, not a chat forum.

I'd love to be wrong on this...

This article says that its legal to kill but not to sell.
EU article Article 853/2004 refers specifically to Placing on the Market, When you kill a pig for your own use you are not placing it on the market, if you are selling it or supplying guests in your B+B you are breaking the law. But not if you are consuming the meat yourself.
All across Europe small scale producers rear their own pigs and slaughter them at home and produce salami,hams etc.
The Dept would be loathe to actually print information that says YOU CAN HOMEKILL. Its not in their ethos to make that kind of info available.
In Northern Ireland they have legislation that explains the situation and shows that it is legal.
But here as with a lot of things it is not publicised.

Ayla

CJhaughey wrote: »

EU article Article 853/2004 refers specifically to Placing on the Market, When you kill a pig for your own use you are not placing it on the market, if you are selling it or supplying guests in your B+B you are breaking the law. But not if you are consuming the meat yourself.

So if the OP's neighbor eats 100% of their kill, and doesn't give any to friends or feed bacon/sausages for a Sunday bkfast when the family comes over then it's legal. Otherwise no.

CJhaughey wrote: »

In Northern Ireland they have legislation that explains the situation and shows that it is legal. But here as with a lot of things it is not publicised.

The North is NOT the same as here. It is a different country, which conveniently gets forgotten in situations such as this. There should not be an automatical assumption that all of the regs that govern NI are the same as those that govern us.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to cull our pigs ourself - abatoir day is traumatic for everyone & I'm a fan of instantaneous death over the food trough, but not at the risk of being illegal & facing possible fines, etc. So until someone can provide a genuine link to ROI regs saying that it's ok to homekill then we'll carry on the way we've done.

harr

In the EU yes but from what i have reading in different articles Ireland has a different Act,i cant find a clear yes or no answer.I know one person who the rang the department to get a straight answer and was told it was OK once he was not selling the meat.But i cant find any paper work or a clear passage in the act where it spells it out.So no i don't have any clear proof on this.If anyone else has any documents to clear this up i would be grateful,sure what would the difference be than going out and shooting a wild boar or deer.

bbam

Ayla wrote: »

So if the OP's neighbor eats 100% of their kill, and doesn't give any to friends or feed bacon/sausages for a Sunday bkfast when the family comes over then it's legal. Otherwise no.



The North is NOT the same as here. It is a different country, which conveniently gets forgotten in situations such as this. There should not be an automatical assumption that all of the regs that govern NI are the same as those that govern us.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to cull our pigs ourself - abatoir day is traumatic for everyone & I'm a fan of instantaneous death over the food trough, but not at the risk of being illegal & facing possible fines, etc. So until someone can provide a genuine link to ROI regs saying that it's ok to homekill then we'll carry on the way we've done.

Abattoir day doesn't have to be stressful.
A galon of beer slops each and the pigs are very happy heading off. They aren't stressed in the holding pens or anything.

As for yourself, well it's natural to be a bit apprehensive but it's a natural thing and if they have been well cared for and properly slaughtered you shouldn't worry.

CJhaughey

Ayla wrote: »

The North is NOT the same as here. It is a different country, which conveniently gets forgotten in situations such as this. There should not be an automatical assumption that all of the regs that govern NI are the same as those that govern us.
.

No **** Batman. Thats my point.
I was merely demonstrating the difference in the way that different jurisdictions inform their citizens of their rights.

Northern Ireland = Clear and fairly unambiguous legislation written in straightforward english.

Republic of Ireland = No guidance at all, maybe ring a local vet. office and get a verbal answer.

Why is the Dept of Ag so reticent about providing this info?
The legislation is the same in both cases, EU legislation not national legislation.

mattthetrasher

killing your own pigs not intending to sell your meat is not illegal.you must dispose of offal to an approved knackery.your assumption ayla that it is,is merely a figment of your own imagination and beliefs

Atilathehun

CJhaughey wrote: »

Ayla wrote: »

The North is NOT the same as here. It is a different country, which conveniently gets forgotten in situations such as this. There should not be an automatical assumption that all of the regs that govern NI are the same as those that govern us.
.

No **** Batman. Thats my point.
I was merely demonstrating the difference in the way that different jurisdictions inform their citizens of their rights.

Northern Ireland = Clear and fairly unambiguous legislation written in straightforward english.

Republic of Ireland = No guidance at all, maybe ring a local vet. office and get a verbal answer.

Why is the Dept of Ag so reticent about providing this info?
The legislation is the same in both cases, EU legislation not national legislation.

Why the foook, should we take a blind bit of notice of this can't kill at home bullshet regulations. It's total nonsense!!
Seriously, have you ever heard of anyone being food poisoned by the meat of pigs killed down the generations, in the traditional way?
On the other hand how often do you hear of food poisoning from eating stuff coming from expensive restaurants?

This is only regulations to support jobs for people in the national payroll, which we can't afford. FFS, hospital trollys out the door, and some eejit, paid with money we have to borrow from the troika, going around to see who has a pig for the table.

Ayla

mattthetrasher wrote: »

killing your own pigs not intending to sell your meat is not illegal.you must dispose of offal to an approved knackery.your assumption ayla that it is,is merely a figment of your own imagination and beliefs

Whew, guess that put me in my place.

Like I've said before, show me where it says it's legal & I'll hold my hands up. Until then I'll keep my nose clean.

As this thread's gone completely off the tracks I'm out. OP, if your neighbor wants to chance their arm, and has the logistical set up, confidence & knowledge for either slaughtering & butchering themselves, or hauling a 90kg carcass to a butcher, then to hell with registering. But if they don't then they'd better sort something out with registering ASAP. Any reputable abattoir shouldn't even consider taking non reg pigs.

Askim

trixyben wrote: »

Neighbour of mine has 3 pigs which she bought as piglets and are now ready to be slaughtered, thing is she cant find anywhere that will do it for her, they arent tagged so the factory wont touch them and the butcher will happily butcher he but wont slaughter it in his shop.

Anyone know where to take them to get slaughtered?

Hi Trixyben

Did you get sorted? Are the pigs registered?
There is be requirement for pigs to be tagged, when going to be killed, I just slapmark minethis lets the factory know which are mine.

Where about are you? Pm if you would prefer

A

jobseek

Askim wrote: »

Hi Trixyben

Did you get sorted? Are the pigs registered?
There is be requirement for pigs to be tagged, when going to be killed, I just slapmark minethis lets the factory know which are mine.

Where about are you? Pm if you would prefer

A

Hello,i dont no if this is the case everywhere but we got our pigs slaughtered at an abbatoir without being tagged,we have the pig herd number,but all we gave the abbatoir was a docket we got when we bought the pigs.

bbam

jobseek wrote: »

Hello,i dont no if this is the case everywhere but we got our pigs slaughtered at an abbatoir without being tagged,we have the pig herd number,but all we gave the abbatoir was a docket we got when we bought the pigs.

No this is not the case everywhere. They are risking their liscence and damaging the nature of the controls in the food chain. How on earth do they know where the pigs came from or how try are being kept?
Getting a pig herd number is free, no cost associated bar a few tags, €5 for 10 tags. I just can't understand why people don't do the right thing and be registered. Where we bring ours you need to be registered and the pigs need tags, otherwise your back out the gate.

jobseek

bbam wrote: »

No this is not the case everywhere. They are risking their liscence and damaging the nature of the controls in the food chain. How on earth do they know where the pigs came from or how try are being kept?
Getting a pig herd number is free, no cost associated bar a few tags, €5 for 10 tags. I just can't understand why people don't do the right thing and be registered. Where we bring ours you need to be registered and the pigs need tags, otherwise your back out the gate.

I dont no whether you seen it or not but i clearly stated ''we have the pig herd number'',and are therefore registered.
This abbatoir is all above board,thinking back we also sent a docket of our own,saying the pigs were moved from our own farm.

bbam

jobseek wrote: »

I dont no whether you seen it or not but i clearly stated ''we have the pig herd number'',and are therefore registered.
This abbatoir is all above board,thinking back we also sent a docket of our own,saying the pigs were moved from our own farm.

The only way they should go un-tagged is if you have a slap mark on them. If
They have neither tags nor slap mark then they don't comply and the slaughter house is taking a risk. If they had a pen of unmarked pigs and an inspector walked into the yard it wouldn't end well.

Ayla

Not to mention the fact that if they're not slap-marked then there's no proof that you get back your own pigs after slaughter. It'd be easy to mix up the carcasses in the transport from abbatoir to butcher, so having them slap-marked ensures you get back the animal you've been looking after for months.

jobseek

Ayla wrote: »

Not to mention the fact that if they're not slap-marked then there's no proof that you get back your own pigs after slaughter. It'd be easy to mix up the carcasses in the transport from abbatoir to butcher, so having them slap-marked ensures you get back the animal you've been looking after for months.

Thats true

Askim

Ayla wrote: »

Not to mention the fact that if they're not slap-marked then there's no proof that you get back your own pigs after slaughter. It'd be easy to mix up the carcasses in the transport from abbatoir to butcher, so having them slap-marked ensures you get back the animal you've been looking after for months.

that's why I bought one, slapping my guys at the weekend, if stolen I would at least be able to identify mine

A

jobseek

Askim wrote: »

that's why I bought one, slapping my guys at the weekend, if stolen I would at least be able to identify mine

A

is the slap mark the red circle and numbers that can be seen on some bacon, the abbatoir where we bought our pigs to has to skin them as they mainly deal with cattle,and are afraid of contaminating the other meat with hair from the pigs if they were scalded, thats what we were told anyway.
Also can amy one give names of a few abbatoirs in the sligo region

Ayla

jobseek wrote: »

is the slap mark the red circle and numbers that can be seen on some bacon

I'm pretty sure there are a few formats for the slap - ours was just numbers & we used black ink, but as there are a few registered & approved slap marker companies then there prob are a few different looks.

Also can amy one give names of a few abbatoirs in the sligo region

I can give you our abbatoir number in south Donegal if that's any good? PM me if you need it.

jobseek

Ayla wrote: »

I'm pretty sure there are a few formats for the slap - ours was just numbers & we used black ink, but as there are a few registered & approved slap marker companies then there prob are a few different looks.



I can give you our abbatoir number in south Donegal if that's any good? PM me if you need it.

Thanks Ayla,but south donegal would be further than im travelling at the minute,the place we use is in north sligo,the price is a bit on the steep side though,i think it is anyway

christymurray

hi bbam
i have just got a few pigs and am looking to see about them slaughtered and to see if you have to bring them to an abattoir and then to a butcher.
I have just requested an application form for a heard number do you know how long it takes to get it back.
thanks
christy

bbam

christymurray wrote: »

hi bbam
i have just got a few pigs and am looking to see about them slaughtered and to see if you have to bring them to an abattoir and then to a butcher.
I have just requested an application form for a heard number do you know how long it takes to get it back.
thanks
christy

I can't rightly remember but about two/three weeks, then another two/three for the inspection and the same again to have everything issued from the department..