(1)  A person may not, except in a licensed meat establishment, slaughter animals for human consumption or assist other persons in the slaughter or processing of animals except as otherwise provided in Subsection (2), (3), or (4).

Attorney's Note

Under the Utah Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $1,000
class C misdemeanorup to 90 daysup to $750
For details, see Utah Code § 76-3-204

Terms Used In Utah Code 4-32-106

  • Agriculture: means the science and art of the production of plants and animals useful to man, including the preparation of plants and animals for human use and disposal by marketing or otherwise. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • Animal: means a domesticated or captive mammalian or avian species. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Department: means the Department of Agriculture and Food created in Chapter 2, Administration. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • Farm custom slaughter: means custom exempt slaughtering of an animal, amenable species, or nonamenable species for an owner without official inspection. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Farm custom slaughter license: means a license issued by the department to allow farm custom slaughter. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Meat: means the edible muscle, and other edible parts, of an animal, including edible:
    (a) skeletal muscle;
    (b) organs;
    (c) muscle found in the tongue, diaphragm, heart, or esophagus; and
    (d) fat, bone, skin, sinew, nerve, or blood vessel that normally accompanies meat and is not ordinarily removed in processing. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Meat establishment: means a plant or fixed premises used to:
    (a) slaughter animals for human consumption; or
    (b) process meat or poultry products for human consumption. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Meat product: means any product capable of use as human food that is made wholly or in part from any meat or other part of the carcass of any non-avian animal. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Person: means a natural person or individual, corporation, organization, or other legal entity. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • Poultry: means any domesticated bird, whether living or dead. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Poultry product: means any product capable of use as human food that is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass, excepting products that contain poultry ingredients in relatively small proportion or that historically have not been considered by consumers as products of the poultry food industry, and that are exempted from definition as a poultry product by the commissioner. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • Slaughter: means :
    (a) the killing of an animal, amenable species, or nonamenable species in a humane manner including skinning or dressing; or
    (b) the process of performing any of the specified acts in preparing an animal, amenable species, or nonamenable species for human consumption. See Utah Code 4-32-105
  • United States: includes each state, district, and territory of the United States of America. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • (2)  A person who raises an animal or an employee of that person may slaughter an animal without a farm custom slaughter license if:

    (a)  slaughtering or processing animals is not prohibited by local ordinance;

    (b)  any hide, viscera, blood, or other tissue is disposed of by removal to a rendering facility or landfill or by burial, as allowed by law;

    (c)  the meat or poultry product derived from the slaughtered animal is consumed exclusively by the person or the person’s immediate family, regular employees of the person, or nonpaying guests; and

    (d)  the meat or poultry product is marked “Not For Sale.”

    (3)  Farm custom slaughter may be performed by a person who holds a valid farm custom slaughter license.

    (4)  A retail establishment that processes meat or poultry products primarily for sale to individual consumers at the retail establishment is exempt from provisions requiring licensing of a meat establishment if:

    (a)  the retail establishment is not engaged in slaughter operations;

    (b)  the retail establishment sells the processed meat and poultry products only to individual consumers at the retail establishment or to restaurants or institutions for use in meals served at those restaurants or institutions;

    (c)  the retail establishment’s sales of processed meat and poultry products to restaurants or institutions do not exceed the federal adjusted dollar limitation, or 25% by dollar volume of all meat sales from the retail establishment, whichever is less;

    (d)  the retail establishment receives meat only from a meat establishment licensed under this chapter or inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture under 21 U.S.C. Secs. 451 to 695;

    (e)  the operator of the retail establishment does not sell to any person other than an individual consumer any meat or poultry product that is cured, smoked, seasoned, canned, or cooked at the retail establishment;

    (f)  the retail establishment does not sell any meat or poultry product that is cured, smoked, seasoned, canned, or cooked at the retail establishment at a location other than the retail establishment; and

    (g)  the operator of the retail establishment does not sell to any person other than an individual consumer any meat product made by combining meat from different animal species at the retail establishment.

    (5)  Any person who violates this section, except as otherwise provided in Subsection (6), is guilty of a class C misdemeanor.

    (6)  Any person who offers for sale or sells any uninspected meat or poultry product is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.

    Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 345, 2017 General Session