What are the requirements for a farmer selling meat and poultry at a farmers market?
The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that persons slaughtering and selling beef, pork, lamb, or more than 20,000 poultry per year operate under continuous, federal inspection. A USDA seal of inspection must appear on all packages of meat originating at such a plant. Farmers may sell the meat from their animals at a farmers’ market if it was processed at a USDA inspected facility. Small poultry producers may have their birds processed either at a USDA inspected plant or an MDA inspected plant. If the product originates at an MDA-inspected facility, it is necessary to have a copy of the MDA license on hand at the farmers’ market for the reference of the Market Manager or local food inspector. If the vendor isn’t the producer of the animals from which the meat is derived, the vendor is required to hold a food establishment license at the farmers’ market. Selling packaged meat at the farmers’ market requires sanitary handling and temperature control. Packaged meats ma
