clarification on selling rabbit meat

i'm having a hard time finding clarification or really...anything on texas' laws regarding the sale of rabbit meat. i would like to sell my rabbits, mostly to friends and family, but i know it varies state to state on how you can do that. i know that i can sell them live and butcher them as a service to the buyer, but i'd really like to be able to butcher them all and sell them afterwards.

the link to the codes posted on this site seem to be broken, and im having a hard time finding the information on my own. i know a couple of you also live in texas, or at least someone who understands legalese better than i do...so maybe you can help me.

the best i could find was from this page: http://www.dshs.texas.gov/meat/poultry- ... rms=rabbit

If I hold a PRE grant, can I slaughter someone else’s poultry or rabbits for them?

No, The establishment owner holding a PRE grant may only slaughter or process poultry or rabbits of his/her own raising on his/her own property with his/her personal distribution of the carcasses and/or parts to retail customers, restaurants, or other retail establishments. 25 TAC 221.12(b)(21).

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which seems to grant me permission to sell my own processed rabbit meat as long as it's sanitary, which i guess you'd know if it wasn't when people got sick lol. inspection is not required for small scale rabbit production, i do know that.

i found another post that said basically that it was legal to sell rabbit meat as long as you butcher less than 1,000 animals a year, which i would definitely fall within. however, there was some clause in the law that said that no other rabbit parts could be sold if the seller intended to also sell rabbit meat - a problem for me who sells the skulls and pelts of my rabbits as well.


i'm just really having a hard time finding information and clarification on what i can and cannot do anyone know a little more than i?

Lots of places outright ban the selling and then butchering of the animal by you to stop that loophole so don't assume it's safe. Many places rabbit falls under wild game laws like deer or other hunted animals since rabbit hunting does exist and can be home processed and sold without an inspected, licensed facility. The number cap might be the only restriction. The problem is laws are usually very vague across the whole country so it often comes down to contacting authorities unless you find someone who has contacted authorities already. Lucky me other people were very motivated for me. You'd need to ask the local USDA or possibly any fish or wild game service you have. Here it's actually the department of natural resources that controls fish and game activities and meat. Don't take anyone's word of mouth who has not gotten it straight from the source or a more outright worded law. Many make their own interpretation that is false. I am just arguing with someone over city code of exotics because there is a list of specific species but it then says it is not an exhaustive list which I think is just to give them the power to seize anything the neighbors find concerning or neglected since it would include many animals commonly sold locally in stores and by breeders. Yay for living in town. :roll:

I believe this is the relevant law.

(21) Grant of poultry/rabbit exemption--An authorization from the department for a person to engage in a very low volume business of slaughtering and processing poultry or rabbits of his/her own raising on his/her own property and personally distributing the carcasses and/or parts, to retail consumers, restaurants, or other retail establishments, provided that the following conditions are met:
(A) the person slaughters less than 10,000 poultry, rabbits, or a combination thereof, in a calendar year;
(B) the person does not buy and sell other poultry or rabbit products (except live chicks, baby rabbits, and/or breeding stock);
(C) only sound, healthy poultry or rabbits are slaughtered and all processes and handling are conducted under sanitary standards and procedures resulting in poultry and rabbit products that are not adulterated;
(D) the product bears the processor's name and address and the statement "Exempted P.L. 90-492"; (unless immediately sold to the household consumer); and
(E) the poultry is not a ratite.

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https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/r ... =221&rl=12

If they allow immediate selling to the consumer then you don't even have to do the sell and then slaughter method. You can just slaughter right before they get there and store it properly. I'm not sure on the other products. I'm not sure the intent or purpose of that law. Someone who knows why that was written might be able to tell you keeping the skulls is fine but as it's written you would enter back into that vague area where someone could go after you with a more direct interpretation.

yes, i was pretty sure that i was allowed to sell meat directly to the consumer, it's that other products clause that i'm concerned about. who would i even call to get clarification on that though?? part of me wants to just continue doing as i am doing since i'm pretty sure there's very little chance someone would go after me, but i would prefer as much clarification as possible, obviously. i really only plan on selling meat to like friends and family, not at like a farmer's market or anything (at least not yet,) but still.

Call these folks and ask and the meat regulations department. Be prepared to reference the law in question. http://www.dshs.texas.gov/

I called the Oklahoma equivalent when the law was changed in 2015 to allow direct selling to consumers. Before the law change Oklahoma had now allowed selling of any rabbit meat without FDA inspection. So I called them asked for one of the guys in the meat regulations department and asked and he verified that I could indeed sell directly.