How to sell game meat

I have taken on new stalking ground and that is likely to mean I’ll be shooting more deer than my own freezer can cope with. I would like to be able to sell venison locally. Do I need a licence to do this?

You may sell game meat, that is to say prepared venison you have butchered yourself, directly to local consumers or to local establishments, such as pubs and restaurants.

However, you must first register as a food business with your local authority. It’s not difficult to do this — you should make contact with your local environmental health department.

Of course, you should make sure that you have suitable facilities both to store carcasses and to convert them into saleable venison. Your local authority officer will most likely want to check out your arrangements for doing this.

I recommend that you take a look at the Wild Game Guide, which has recently been updated and is available on food.gov.uk, the Food Standards Agency website. GD

Working ferrets under a hawk can be an exhilarating experience GAME MARKET

Stalkers can sell game meat to local restaurants and pubs if they are registered as a food business