On September 14th, NOFA-VT joined 25 other organizations and farmers in sending a letter urging the legislature to increase the allowances for the number of animals that can be slaughtered under Vermont's on-farm slaughter law. Expanding the opportunity for farmers to take advantage of on-farm slaughter could help ease the current bottleneck at commercial slaughter facilities due to COVID-19. We have heard from producers of all types of livestock, and particularly small ruminants, that they are struggling to get on the schedule at commercial slaughter facilities this year.
Currently, due to a lack of outreach and awareness regarding the on-farm slaughter law, and confusion about the requirements, on-farm slaughter in Vermont is severely underreported. In order to more accurately demonstrate the number of farmers taking advantage of on-farm slaughter, and the need to expand it, we encourage farmers who participate in on farm slaughter, or plan to, to do the following:
- Register with AAFM
- Report your on-farm slaughter before October 15 (for the calendar quarter ending September 30th) or January 15 (for the calendar quarter ending December 31)
To learn more about the current requirements under Vermont's on-farm slaughter law, read Rural Vermont's factsheet (pdf).
