Selling produce...

[deniscooper]

hi,

not really sure if this is the right forum but im looking on advice / legal guidelines regarding the selling of produce to the public.

I have a small farm and have so far just had the produce for my self, but I am considering selling to the local area - mainly through farm gate sales / advertising online etc.

the local abbatoir and butchers said they can vac pack and label everything but I wasn't sure what the official guidelines were for selling it on afterwards.

any advice welcomed.

 

[delilah]

There's been a few threads covering this, think they are mostly in the rural diversification section have a look in there .

 

[deniscooper]

Thanks I’ll try and dig them out.

 

[Al R]

@Tim W @Jerry

 

[Jerry]

Yes, it is something I do selling lamb direct to local customers and restaurants.

I keep it very very simple.

Abbatoir does the kill and cut to my specification.

They then pack and label everything for me ready to pick up. This includes weight and date information and my own branding labels. Depending on customer some is vac packed some is simply bagged.

Their scales are all checked by trading standards and their cutting room has all the relevant paperwork in place as you would expect.

I then rock up to collect. Individual customers orders are all bagged ready for me as I give them a cutting list in advance. So in effect everything is double bagged.

I have large "igloo" cool boxes in my pickup, the bags go straight into these and I then deliver direct.

Therefore I dont have to get involved in hygiene etc, I simply act as the courier. I do not touch the meat in any shape or form.

No costs for chillers and clean rooms either.

Its a growing portion of my farm business despite the vegan crap flying around, in fact that might be doing me a favour as the lamb is grass fed, seasonal and local.

I only run 200 ewes but 80% of the lambs go direct now.

 

[Jerry]

Oh, forgot to say, social media is your friend and a must if selling direct these days.

Build a picture of your farm and your animals. Make it a story. Engage with customers.

Show them how you care for the animals and make the most of photo opportunities, treat it a bit of an education process.

Have a search for Exe Valley Lamb and you will see what I get up to.

 

[deniscooper]

Oh, forgot to say, social media is your friend and a must if selling direct these days.

Build a picture of your farm and your animals. Make it a story. Engage with customers.

Show them how you care for the animals and make the most of photo opportunities, treat it a bit of an education process.

Have a search for Exe Valley Lamb and you will see what I get up to.

Really helpful thank you.
This sounds exactly the sort of thing I want to do. I’m only a small farm and passionate about quality reared meat and properly grown veg.

 

[Jerry]

Really helpful thank you.
This sounds exactly the sort of thing I want to do. I’m only a small farm and passionate about quality reared meat and properly grown veg.

very good luck with it. It is more work but it does work and help the bottom line.

One thing to remember with direct selling is you are only as good as the last delivery. You gave no where to hide.

That’s why I’ll never sell 100% of the lamb direct. I divert the poorer lambs to my local live market......,and funny enough a local high end butcher normally buys them....??

 

[Al R]

very good luck with it. It is more work but it does work and help the bottom line.

One thing to remember with direct selling is you are only as good as the last delivery. You gave no where to hide.

That’s why I’ll never sell 100% of the lamb direct. I divert the poorer lambs to my local live market......,and funny enough a local high end butcher normally buys them....??

 

[lloyd]

very good luck with it. It is more work but it does work and help the bottom line.

One thing to remember with direct selling is you are only as good as the last delivery. You gave no where to hide.

That’s why I’ll never sell 100% of the lamb direct. I divert the poorer lambs to my local live market......,and funny enough a local high end butcher normally buys them....??

Would you compete with the market price for
net return to yourselves at this time of year?
Your lambs look top market price.

 

[Jerry]

Would you compete with the market price for
net return to yourselves at this time of year?
Your lambs look top market price.

I stopped selling direct about 8 weeks ago. My lambs were all gone.

One advantage I see is selling my lamb when the open Market price is low.

Lamb outside in Feb/Mar. Straight into ok grass but most old perm pasture.

Start selling at 42kg for 21kg plus deadweight. Typically second week in May.

Then manage lambs to give steady supply.

Abbatior 20 mins away. Kill and cut £30 plus £3 if vac pack. Hang 2 weeks which is key.

All Lleyn ewes to char tups

 

[deniscooper]

it sounds like the £28 including vac pack and labels is a good price im getting then.

will see how I get on

 

[deniscooper]

also, I do hatch my own chickens, but struggling to find an abattoir that will process them - does anyone know of anywhere local to me that would process them?

 

[It was already broken.]

also, I do hatch my own chickens, but struggling to find an abattoir that will process them - does anyone know of anywhere local to me that would process them?

Speak to local keeper/shoot and find out who dresses game locally. They are usually the people round here who will have the facilities and paperwork to sort poultry. About £1 a bird usually does it. Another couple of weeks and all the pheasants will be done and they will have more time.

 

[Tim G]

How do you find restaurants for paying @Jerry ? We were warned that as a trade they were very very slow, which has put me off doing too much of that sort of thing.

 

[Oldmacdonald]

That's a tremendous price for kill and cut and pack Jerry.

 

[delilah]

How do you find restaurants for paying @Jerry ? We were warned that as a trade they were very very slow, which has put me off doing too much of that sort of thing.

They can be awful on payment, in addition to which they can quite brazenly leave your name on the menu even when it's not your lamb.

 

[borderterribles]

They can be awful on payment, in addition to which they can quite brazenly leave your name on the menu even when it's not your lamb.

Not to mention the delights of dealing with temperamental Chefs!

 

[Jerry]

How do you find restaurants for paying @Jerry ? We were warned that as a trade they were very very slow, which has put me off doing too much of that sort of thing.

I very much check out the restaurants and veg them as much as I can. To be honest they are all high end establishments.

So far more issues.

Daft really as they sell every thing cash up front almost and buy in on 30 days

 

[Jerry]

That's a tremendous price for kill and cut and pack Jerry.

I’m lucky. It’s a small abattoir that only kills once a week. I’m pretty much their biggest lamb customer and they like my lamb as it’s easy to cut. They do a lot of killing for small holders so get a lot of crap rare breed stuff to sort out.