Provincial

Slaughter licence: Abattoir, Farmgate Plus or Farmgate

All meat and poultry sold in BC must be slaughtered under a licence. An abattoir inspects every animal and sells anywhere in BC; Farmgate Plus (up to 25 animal units a year — the licence former Class D and E holders now have) sells anywhere in BC, labelled “Not Government Inspected”; Farmgate (up to 5 units, your own animals) sells only directly to consumers — from the farm, or at markets in your regional district or within 50 km. None of it may leave BC.

Changes are coming

  • Selling provincially slaughtered red meat to other provinces — proposed, no date set; it may not happen. What changes
  • More uses for lower-risk specified risk material — proposed, no date set; it may not happen. What changes
Who issues it
BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • You sell meat or poultry from animals you slaughter yourself.

You don’t need it if

  • You take your animals to a licensed abattoir — the abattoir holds the licence.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

For a Farmgate or Farmgate Plus licence — the full picture, limits included, is in the farm guide.

  1. 1

    Register for Premises ID

    Free, and needed before you apply.

  2. 2

    Complete SlaughterRight training

    And write the Food safety planYour written account of where food could become unsafe in your kitchen and how you prevent it — cooking and cooling temperatures, for example, and what you do when one is missed. BC requires one from every food premises, alongside a sanitation plan.All terms in the glossary it walks you through.

  3. 3

    Send the application to FrontCounter BC

    Meat inspection staff then review your workbook and plan and visit your site; the licence follows a successful visit.

Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • Your site is inspected at least once a year, and the meat is labelled “Not Government Inspected”.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

Farmgate & Farmgate Plus licenceAbattoirs on the Island

Which businesses need it

Butchers, delis & fishmongersWhat your suppliers must holdMeat, poultry & egg producersRaising animals for meat, or hens for eggs.

The rules behind this page

Last checked 5 November 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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