A farmer selling meat from their own livestock animals, with no added ingredients (that means no cure or spices), may do so without a food license or inspection, provided their livestock are processed under continuous inspection at a USDA or Minnesota “Equal To” facility. Referred to as “product of the farm” sales, this falls under Minnesota Food Licensing Exclusions and Exemptions. The processing plant will work with you to ensure your products are appropriately labeled.
If you plan to open a farm store or sell any products not produced on your farm (including products containing ingredients not produced on your farm), you may need a food handler license and approved facility. Contact the Food and Feed Safety Division Licensing Liaison or complete a Food Licensing Liaison Request form online.
Farmers may store their own packaged meat products from their farm in refrigerators or freezers that are in good condition, cleanable, and capable of keeping product frozen solid at 0°F or cold below 40°F (if fresh). Unless you are planning to acquire a food handler license to store and sell other products, you are not required to have a specific type of freezer or refrigeration unit. The following are additional resources on food safety for storing and freezing:
- This list of basic tips to follow for proper food storage (University of Minnesota Extension) is a good place to start.
- The USDA guide to refrigeration and food safety and freezing and food safety provide more information, including tables of storage times for different refrigerated and frozen meat and poultry products.
Yes. Keep in mind, products processed under continuous inspection at a Minnesota Equal To facility may only be shipped to locations within the state, while products processed under continuous inspection at a USDA facility may be shipped across state lines. Refer to the above question for additional information on storing the products on your farm prior to sales.
Red meat (beef, pork, goat, lamb, etc.) must be processed under continuous inspection by a USDA or Minnesota Equal To facility, and then you may sell those products without needing your own license if they are from your own farm, with no added ingredients. (Selling ingredient-added meat products at a farmers’ market requires a food license. Contact the Food and Feed Safety Division Licensing Liaison or complete a Food Licensing Liaison Request form online to learn more).
Any vehicles or containers used for transporting meat to the market should be cleanable and capable of keeping your product frozen solid at 0°F or cold below 40°F (if fresh). Make sure to talk to your farmers’ market manager about their vendor guidelines and expectations. Each market is operated differently, and you will want to know the rules they have around how products may be displayed and sold at that market. For more information on farmers’ markets, check out the Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association or visit their Farmers' Market Academy.
Farm-raised deer, elk, bison, and some other domestically raised livestock species are considered “non-amenable” to inspection. This means at the federal level, inspection is voluntary, but to sell the meat from those animals in Minnesota, you must have them processed under inspection. Some USDA plants process non-amenable species, but the producer will need to pay for the inspection on top of processing fees. At the state level, inspection is covered for non-amenable species in Minnesota, but the options for processing large animals such as bison are more limited. Contact processing plants in your area and find out whether they have the capacity to process your animals.
Access to Information in an Alternative Format
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture strives to ensure that reasonable steps are taken to provide meaningful access and an equal opportunity to participate in services, activities and programs to individuals whose first language is not English or who need an accommodation for a disability.
Translation services are available if individuals need assistance to access services, activities and programs; key documents and resources may be translated upon request.
For assistance in obtaining access to services or to arrange for translation services, please contact the Dairy and Meat Inspection Division at 651-201-6300.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
These birds must be processed under USDA or Minnesota "Equal To" inspection. Licensing is not required by the state if you are only selling birds you have raised.
These birds must be processed under USDA or Minnesota "Equal To" inspection. Licensing is not required by the state if you are only selling birds you have raised.
Inspection
No inspection is required for poultry farmers who do their own processing and sell fewer than 1,000 home-raised poultry per year from their farm directly to the end consumer. Farmers selling more than 1,000 birds per year, or who sell their poultry off the premises of their own farm (e.g. at a farmers' market, roadside stand), may be subject to inspection, though processing facilities do not need pre-approval by the MDA.
Licensing
When processing and selling your own poultry directly to end consumers, you may be exempt from state licensing as long as the following requirements are met:
- The farm slaughters fewer than 20,000 birds annually.
- No birds are offered for sale or transportation in interstate commerce (i.e., across state lines).
- The farmer sells only birds raised on his/her own farm.
- The poultry products are sold as whole birds or minimally processed, with no added ingredients (no smoking or curing permitted).
- The poultry farmer slaughters his/her own birds under sanitary conditions.
- The farmer must keep slaughter and sales records.
- Poultry is properly labeled with the following:
- The farmer's name
- The name and address of the farm, including the zip code
- The product name
- “Exempt PL 90-492”
- Safe handling information
While the MDA does not license these farmers, we do encourage them to register as on-farm exempt poultry producers. There is no fee associated with this, and registered producers receive a certificate from the MDA.
Yes, if you have a facility that meets the requirements as outlined in 9 CFR 416.2 - 416.5. These facilities may be subject to inspection by the MDA to ensure proper construction and sanitation. Home-slaughtered birds may be sold to end consumers at farmers' markets, but they cannot be sold at grocery stores or other retail outlets.
Farmers selling whole or minimally processed poultry (no other ingredients added) from their own flock are not required to be licensed. However, certain local governments may require licensing to sell products at a farmers' market so it is important to check with your market manager about local regulations, as well. For information on processing options, see the answer to the question below.
To sell these chickens, your local butcher would need to be a USDA inspected or Minnesota “Equal To” inspected processing plant. These plants must meet more stringent food safety standards than those for custom exempt plants. During a USDA or Minnesota Equal To inspection, each chicken is inspected for food safety and wholesomeness to ensure the chickens have been processed to the highest level of food safety. For a list of USDA plants, contact the USDA Des Moines District Office at 1-800-990-9834. Minnesota Equal To plants are listed online at Minnesota State "Equal To" Plants. A farmer can also process their own poultry for sales to end consumers at a farmers' market. Learn more about Selling Farm-Slaughtered Poultry and Rabbits.
There are no regulatory requirements for an individual to process their own birds for their own personal use.
These birds must be processed under USDA or Minnesota "Equal To" inspection. Licensing is not required by the state if you are only selling birds you have raised.
Inspection
No inspection is required for poultry farmers who do their own processing and sell fewer than 1,000 home-raised poultry per year from their farm directly to the end consumer. Farmers selling more than 1,000 birds per year, or who sell their poultry off the premises of their own farm (e.g. at a farmers' market, roadside stand), may be subject to inspection, though processing facilities do not need pre-approval by the MDA.
Licensing
When processing and selling your own poultry directly to end consumers, you may be exempt from state licensing as long as the following requirements are met:
- The farm slaughters fewer than 20,000 birds annually.
- No birds are offered for sale or transportation in interstate commerce (i.e., across state lines).
- The farmer sells only birds raised on his/her own farm.
- The poultry products are sold as whole birds or minimally processed, with no added ingredients (no smoking or curing permitted).
- The poultry farmer slaughters his/her own birds under sanitary conditions.
- The farmer must keep slaughter and sales records.
- Poultry is properly labeled with the following:
- The farmer's name
- The name and address of the farm, including the zip code
- The product name
- “Exempt PL 90-492”
- Safe handling information
While the MDA does not license these farmers, we do encourage them to register as on-farm exempt poultry producers. There is no fee associated with this, and registered producers receive a certificate from the MDA.
Inspection
No inspection is required for poultry farmers who do their own processing and sell fewer than 1,000 home-raised poultry per year from their farm directly to the end consumer. Farmers selling more than 1,000 birds per year, or who sell their poultry off the premises of their own farm (e.g. at a farmers' market, roadside stand), may be subject to inspection, though processing facilities do not need pre-approval by the MDA.
Licensing
When processing and selling your own poultry directly to end consumers, you may be exempt from state licensing as long as the following requirements are met:
- The farm slaughters fewer than 20,000 birds annually.
- No birds are offered for sale or transportation in interstate commerce (i.e., across state lines).
- The farmer sells only birds raised on his/her own farm.
- The poultry products are sold as whole birds or minimally processed, with no added ingredients (no smoking or curing permitted).
- The poultry farmer slaughters his/her own birds under sanitary conditions.
- The farmer must keep slaughter and sales records.
- Poultry is properly labeled with the following:
- The farmer's name
- The name and address of the farm, including the zip code
- The product name
- “Exempt PL 90-492”
- Safe handling information
While the MDA does not license these farmers, we do encourage them to register as on-farm exempt poultry producers. There is no fee associated with this, and registered producers receive a certificate from the MDA.
Yes, if you have a facility that meets the requirements as outlined in 9 CFR 416.2 - 416.5. These facilities may be subject to inspection by the MDA to ensure proper construction and sanitation. Home-slaughtered birds may be sold to end consumers at farmers' markets, but they cannot be sold at grocery stores or other retail outlets.
