MPIP Exemption Qualifications

A custom-exempt establishment is one that slaughters and prepares livestock belonging to someone else for the exclusive use of that person. The custom-exempt facility provides a service for the livestock owner; it is not producing commercial product. Custom-exempt facilities are exempt from the requirements for carcass-by-carcass inspections and the daily presence of inspectors during operations. Even so, the facility is not exempt from the adulteration, misbranding, and certain record-keeping provisions of those statutes. Custom-exempt establishments are reviewed periodically to verify that facilities are maintained and operated in a manner that produces a safe, clean, and wholesome meat food product in a sanitary environment and are otherwise complying with State and Federal Laws. To learn more about this livestock exemption, please contact the MPIP office in order to start this process. Facility requirements in accordance with Title 9 CFR Part 416 will apply, as well as a site visit, prior to operations. Other requirements may be found in the resources below.

Custom Exempt Information Packet

Custom Exempt Further Information Packet

Trichinella Guide

Operations traditionally and usually conducted at retail stores, restaurants, and retail-type establishments that offer meat and meat food products, under their control, for sale or service to household consumers generally are exempt from mandatory inspection, under MPIP’s authority. Only inspected and passed meat and meat food products (those bearing a mark of inspection) may be used in the preparation of products sold (including meals) at retail stores or restaurants. Sales must be in normal retail quantities, and certain State and Federal requirements apply. Retail stores that grind raw beef are required to keep records concerning their grinding activities. For more information, please visit the Q&A Final Rule Beef Grind Log.

Contact the Bureau of Environmental Health Services Section for Environmental Public Health at (573) 751-6095 or (toll-free) (866) 628-9891 for more information on the retail exemption.

A person may slaughter, on his or her premises, poultry that he or she raised and may distribute such poultry without mandatory inspection when certain criteria are met

Prior to operating under this exemption, please contact the Compliance Investigator in your area and ask about applying for this poultry exemption.

A poultry grower may slaughter and process no more than 20,000 birds as exempt product for distribution as human food when the following criteria are met:

1. The producer/grower slaughters and processes, on his or her own premises, no more than 20,000 poultry, raised by him or her, in a calendar year;
2. The producer/grower sells, in one calendar year, only poultry or poultry products he or she prepares according to the criteria for the <20,000 Bird Exemption; he or she may not buy or sell poultry products prepared under another exemption in the same calendar year in which he or she claims the <20,000 Bird Exemption;
3. The poultry products are distributed solely by the producer/grower and only within the state in which the poultry product is produced;
4. The poultry are healthy when slaughtered;
5. The slaughter and processing at the producer/grower’s premises are conducted using sanitary standards, practices, and procedures in accordance with Title 9 CFR Part 416 that produce poultry products that are sound, clean, and fit for use as human food (not adulterated);
6. The producer only distributes poultry products he or she produced under the <20,000 Bird Exemption;
7. The facility used to slaughter or process the poultry is not used to slaughter or process another person’s poultry;
8. The shipping containers, when distributed in intrastate commerce (instead of the required features of a label of inspected product) bear: the producer’s name, address, and the statement, “Exempt P.L. 90-492.”

Prior to operating under this exemption, the producer/grower must have an application completed with MPIP. Contact the MPIP office in order to start this process.

A custom poultry slaughterer is a business or person who slaughters and processes poultry belonging to someone else. A custom slaughterer provides a service to a customer and does not engage in the business of buying or selling poultry products capable of use as human food. To learn more about this poultry exemption, Contact the MPIP office in order to start this process. Facility requirements in accordance with Title 9 CFR Part 416 will apply, as well as a site visit, prior to operations.

The term “Producer/Grower or Other Person” (PGOP) refers to a single entity which may be:

1. A poultry grower who slaughters and processes poultry that he or she raised for sale directly to household consumers, restaurants, hotels, and boarding houses to be used in those homes and dining rooms for the preparation of meals served or sold directly to customers.
2. A person who purchases live poultry from a grower and then slaughters the poultry and processes it for sale directly to household consumers, restaurants, hotels, and boarding houses to be served in those homes or dining rooms for the preparation of meals sold directly to customers.

A business may slaughter and process poultry under this exemption when certain criteria are met. To learn more about this poultry exemption, please contact the MPIP office in order to start this process. Facility requirements in accordance with Title 9 CFR Part 416 will apply, as well as a site visit, prior to operations.

A retail business is a facility where poultry products are sold to a customer (household consumers) at the retail business and the amount purchased by the customer is considered to be a normal amount for a retail purchase. Contact the Bureau of Environmental Health Services Section for Environmental Public Health at (573) 751-6095 or (toll-free) (866) 628-9891 for more information on the retail exemption.

A custom rabbit slaughterer is a business or person who slaughters and processes domestic rabbits belonging to someone else. A custom slaughterer provides a service to a customer and does not engage in the business of buying or selling rabbit products capable of use as human food. To learn more about this rabbit exemption, contact the MPIP office in order to start this process. Facility requirements in accordance with Title 9 CFR Part 416 will apply, as well as a site visit, prior to operations.

The slaughtering of no more than 1,000 rabbits per calendar year by any rabbit producer when done on the producer’s own premises with respect to sound and healthy rabbits raised on the producer’s premises and the distribution of the rabbit products derived from such operations. In lieu of other labeling requirements, such rabbit products must be identified with the name and address of the rabbit producer; not be otherwise misbranded; and be sound, clean, and fit for human food when so distributed. Persons operating under this exemption must retain records reflecting the date of each sale, the name of the buyer for each sale, and the number of rabbits sold at each sale. Records required by this part must be maintained and available for inspection for two (2) years from the date of sale.

Prior to operating under this exemption, please contact the Compliance Investigator in your area and ask about applying for this rabbit exemption.

The term “Producer/Grower or Other Person” (PGOP) refers to a single entity which may be:

1. A rabbit grower who slaughters and processes no more than 1,000 rabbits that he or she raised for sale directly to household consumers, restaurants, hotels, and boarding houses to be used in those homes and dining rooms for the preparation of meals served or sold directly to customers.
2. A person who purchases live rabbits from a grower and then slaughters no more than 1,000 rabbits and processes such rabbits for sale directly to household consumers, restaurants, hotels, and boarding houses to be served in those homes or dining rooms for the preparation of meals sold directly to customers.

A business may slaughter and process rabbits under this exemption when certain criteria are met. Prior to operating under this exemption, please contact the Compliance Investigator in your area to ask about applying for this rabbit exemption.