Giving venison away?

[bladeracer]

Are there regulations about giving venison to people that can use free meat?
Just now, with so many people out of work, it seems the struggle to carry more meat than you need out of the bush is well worthwhile, if we can offer it to people.
But how do we go about making such offerings?
Is it legal to simply advertise free venison?
Are there charitable organisations that will accept game meat?

[AZZA'S HJ47]

I jave plenty of friends that love to get venison however i dont thing charitable institutions look at game meat in any positive way.

[bladeracer]

I jave plenty of friends that love to get venison however i dont thing charitable institutions look at game meat in any positive way.

Yeah, if it were just for people we know it'd be easy.
There's a lot of people around now that can't afford butcher shop prices, and to leave good healthy meat to rot in the bush doesn't make sense.

[eddievic]

Blade, mate primesafe Victoria rules are very strict and clear. Unless you are licensed you cannot sell meat or butcher any animal (unless for your own use) eg a farmer killing an animals for their freezer. This is done to stop food contamination and people getting sick.

I know of a couple of cases where people were processing roosters at home for friends or for selling in all cases they got a hefty fine, and all live and processed roosters were confiscated (i assume to be thrown in the tip)

Its a waste and it kinda sucks but unfortunately the rules are to stop a few dumb ppl. Same as dairy farmers cannot sell their excess milk and usually just tip it down the drain.

I also know those food charity people have heaps of problems and have to go through hoops to get acreddited even though they are a charity.

I suggest just keep giving to friends or people known to you mate.

[bladeracer]

Blade, mate primesafe Victoria rules are very strict and clear. Unless you are licensed you cannot sell meat or butcher any animal (unless for your own use) eg a farmer killing an animals for their freezer. This is done to stop food contamination and people getting sick.

I know of a couple of cases where people were processing roosters at home for friends or for selling in all cases they got a hefty fine, and all live and processed roosters were confiscated (i assume to be thrown in the tip)

Its a waste and it kinda sucks but unfortunately the rules are to stop a few dumb ppl. Same as dairy farmers cannot sell their excess milk and usually just tip it down the drain.

I also know those food charity people have heaps of problems and have to go through hoops to get acreddited even though they are a charity.

I suggest just keep giving to friends or people known to you mate.

Yes, I thought this was the case but that maybe there might be a loophole to help people in need.

[Larry]

As a farmer you are not allowed meat butchered on the farm to leave the farm gate unless you are accredited and have a meat inspector on staff. Its all BS but the rules are there to protect us from dodgy operators. Just the food safe requirements would be a big stretch for your average farm gate type shop. Remember back to when everyone had to stop having sausage sizzles because of food safe practices and kitchens.

[VICHunter]

Yes, I thought this was the case but that maybe there might be a loophole to help people in need.

You could try some of the 'food rescue' type mobs.

FareShare are a group here in Victoria that do it.

https://www.fareshare.net.au/

[bladeracer]

Yes, I thought this was the case but that maybe there might be a loophole to help people in need.

You could try some of the 'food rescue' type mobs.

FareShare are a group here in Victoria that do it.

https://www.fareshare.net.au/

Thanks for that, signed up to their newsletter.
Looks like all their donations schemes are for cash only though.

[deanp100]

The qld rules were always aimed at the exchange of cash for meat. Giving meat away was always allowed as it was assumed it wouldn’t happen in any great amounts.

[marksman]

The qld rules were always aimed at the exchange of cash for meat. Giving meat away was always allowed as it was assumed it wouldn’t happen in any great amounts.

this is how l've understood the Vic rules myself as l do give meat away to people to help them with their budgets, word of mouth is all l have ever used

l have even given to the local footy clubs for raffles as well as a few police officers who wanted to try real meat

for what has been said in this thread it would mean you could not process your own game meat including rabbit, duck, deer ect...

[bladeracer]

We grow cows so I'm fairly familiar with the legals regarding selling produce. If I could capture live deer, and deliver them live to the abattoir (or have a mobile abattoir come out) for processing, then the meat can be passed on. I don't know if it's even legal to capture deer live, but it sounds like a big job

[eddievic]

There are a few venison farms kicking around i wonder how they do it.

You could ask prime safe on Monday.

[bladeracer]

There are a few venison farms kicking around i wonder how they do it.

You could ask prime safe on Monday.

I would guess the same way we do beef and rabbit. They have to be delivered live and well to be processed. You can set up your own abattoir, but it's not cost effective for most people, or there are some mobile abattoirs that come out to your property and process your live animals.

I have been to deer farms and the required fencing alone makes it non-viable for most of us.

I have been asked if I might be able to cull some deer in an area that is due to be replanted with native seedlings, deer will destroy them within hours of planting. I doubt I need to cull them all, there are a lot, but dropping one or two every day for a few weeks might be enough to move them out of the area long enough for the plants to take hold. But I have zero use for that much meat, and leaving it to rot really bugs me. They don't have funding to employ shooters, but they also don't want unknown shooters in there as they are in there often themselves.

[RoginaJack]

If you[r got spare Venison, I'll be 1st in line!

[eddievic]

There are a few venison farms kicking around i wonder how they do it.

You could ask prime safe on Monday.

I would guess the same way we do beef and rabbit. They have to be delivered live and well to be processed. You can set up your own abattoir, but it's not cost effective for most people, or there are some mobile abattoirs that come out to your property and process your live animals.

I have been to deer farms and the required fencing alone makes it non-viable for most of us.

I have been asked if I might be able to cull some deer in an area that is due to be replanted with native seedlings, deer will destroy them within hours of planting. I doubt I need to cull them all, there are a lot, but dropping one or two every day for a few weeks might be enough to move them out of the area long enough for the plants to take hold. But I have zero use for that much meat, and leaving it to rot really bugs me. They don't have funding to employ shooters, but they also don't want unknown shooters in there as they are in there often themselves.

Damn... true... but being old farms i wonder if they have an existing license to process. I saw a rabbit farm for sale in Gippsland a couple if years ago and they had an abatoir. (As a side note reason for sale was the calisi virus destroyed their business)

Instead of primesafe i would think calling around a few venison farmers and asking who does their processing. And going from there. If its an abatoir and if you have a cool store maybe they might take it.

Otherwise just ask friend and friends of friends.

[Larry]

Even the mobile butchers that I have used over the last 30 years have not been allowed to take meat past the farm gate. It has got to a point that you cant even take an injured cow to the abattoirs directly now. (if you are known and call ahead and make arrangements they may let you take the animal in. Even if it means that you are going to have yo put the animal down say from just a broken leg or something. There are so many laws and regulations now about animal health and wealth fair and bio security.It will sometimes even cost you to get the local Hunt club to come out and take a cow away so they can feed it to their hounds.

[TassieTiger]

Sad really - Montana and other US states make it illegal but then have options for food banks to receive hunted meat. You’d think (hope) we could manage similar...locally - scotch fillet is $40 a kg and anything lamb Is out of the reach of many...

[marksman]

the pensioners l give meat to can not afford it at all and they are happy to get rabbit or roo, they love sambar or fallow though especially the snags
your a good man Blade to even think the way you do about it

[Bello]

I know a guy who was hunting on a property where there were heaps and heaps of deer.
The owner of this property and his surrounding neighbors are all greenies. (Don't like shooters ). But due to the large number of deer on his land, the land owner let this lovely hunter on his property.
Over the course of several months, over 60 deer were taken. All were taken back home by the hunter, cleaned and refrigerated for at lease a week.
The hunter ate some, but gave most of the meat to friends and friends of friends who were happy to receive the meat. A couple of the recipients had lost their jobs around this time and they were so happy to get such good fresh meat for nothing.
It would be a waste to have such a valuable resource go to waste. So many people have asked the lovely hunter for more meat, but the owner of the property said he doesn't want hunters on his land.
The neighbors told the hunter they want the deer gone, but did not want the hunter to shoot them.

[bladeracer]

I know a guy who was hunting on a property where there were heaps and heaps of deer.
The owner of this property and his surrounding neighbors are all greenies. (Don't like shooters ). But due to the large number of deer on his land, the land owner let this lovely hunter on his property.
Over the course of several months, over 60 deer were taken. All were taken back home by the hunter, cleaned and refrigerated for at lease a week.
The hunter ate some, but gave most of the meat to friends and friends of friends who were happy to receive the meat. A couple of the recipients had lost their jobs around this time and they were so happy to get such good fresh meat for nothing.
It would be a waste to have such a valuable resource go to waste. So many people have asked the lovely hunter for more meat, but the owner of the property said he doesn't want hunters on his land.
The neighbors told the hunter they want the deer gone, but did not want the hunter to shoot them.

The area I'm looking at is the same, and I'm doing it specifically for the eco-group, it's a great opportunity to work with them and show them that we are not their enemies when it comes to caring for our bushland.

I spent Friday and Saturday in there on a property where they really don't like killing anything, but came on-side for the benefit of the bush (a really lovely couple too). It was useful to be able to assure them that I probably don't need to shoot any deer in there. They clearly traverse the property, but there is little sign of them hanging around in there. I could hear them calling through the night on the adjacent properties though. Whether they hang out in there at different times of the year though is still to be seen. He had a buck in his front yard near the road just last week.

[eddievic]

I know a guy who was hunting on a property where there were heaps and heaps of deer.
The owner of this property and his surrounding neighbors are all greenies. (Don't like shooters ). But due to the large number of deer on his land, the land owner let this lovely hunter on his property.
Over the course of several months, over 60 deer were taken. All were taken back home by the hunter, cleaned and refrigerated for at lease a week.
The hunter ate some, but gave most of the meat to friends and friends of friends who were happy to receive the meat. A couple of the recipients had lost their jobs around this time and they were so happy to get such good fresh meat for nothing.
It would be a waste to have such a valuable resource go to waste. So many people have asked the lovely hunter for more meat, but the owner of the property said he doesn't want hunters on his land.
The neighbors told the hunter they want the deer gone, but did not want the hunter to shoot them.

Simple tell them they will be rehomed ( into the hunters fridge)