Can You Sell Meat From Your Farm in Oregon? What Farmers Need to Know

Oregon farmers have real opportunities to sell meat directly to consumers, but the rules governing how you get there are more layered than in many other states. Whether you raise beef cattle in the Willamette Valley, hogs on a small homestead in the Coast Range, or pastured chickens in the high desert, the path from your pasture to a customer’s freezer runs through a specific set of federal and state requirements.

The short answer is yes — you can sell meat from your Oregon farm. The longer answer depends on what species you raise, how you plan to sell it, and which processing pathway you use. This guide walks through every major rule you need to understand, from federal inspection requirements to Oregon’s newer state inspection program, the custom slaughter exemption, poultry-specific rules, and the licenses and labels you’ll need along the way.

Pro Tip: Oregon’s meat rules differ by species. Red meat (beef, pork, lamb, goat) follows one set of rules; poultry follows another. Read both sections before assuming one pathway covers everything you raise.

Can You Sell Meat From Your Farm in Oregon

Farmers and ranchers in Oregon raise and sell livestock and poultry for a variety of local and regional markets. Selling that meat directly — whether at a farmers market, through a CSA, or to a local restaurant — is legal, but it requires you to navigate both federal and state rules that govern how animals are slaughtered and processed before the meat changes hands.

Federal law requires that meat and poultry sold for human food be processed at a federally inspected facility or in an approved state-inspected facility. Oregon adds its own layer on top of that: Oregon law requires that, to be sold as food, meat and poultry species must be processed in a state-approved and state-licensed facility.

There are also legal workarounds — most notably the custom slaughter exemption and the live-animal sale model — that give small producers more flexibility. Understanding which pathway applies to your operation is the first step before you invest in processing infrastructure or start taking customer orders. For a broader overview of how these rules compare across the country, see can I sell meat from my farm.

Federal Inspection Requirements That Apply in Oregon

The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has primary jurisdiction over most meat establishments. With the exception of custom slaughtering, the Federal Meat Inspection Act requires all amenable species — cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines — to be slaughtered under continuous FSIS inspection.

USDA inspection is required for “amenable” red meat and poultry species to be sold as meat — cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, and ratites (ostrich, rhea, emu). If you plan to sell retail cuts of any of these species, the animal must move through a federally inspected plant or, as of 2022, through Oregon’s newer state inspection program.

Inspection is “voluntary” for other red meat and poultry species, including rabbits, bison, yak, llama/alpaca, domesticated deer or elk, and domesticated quail, squab, pheasant, and migratory waterfowl. That said, voluntary does not mean unregulated — buyers such as restaurants and grocery stores may still require inspection for these species before they’ll purchase from you.

Key Insight: “Inspected” and “licensed” are not the same thing in Oregon. A meat license from ODA does not automatically place you under the State Meat Inspection Program. You must apply separately for inspection status.

Does Oregon Have Its Own Meat Inspection Program

Beginning in 2023, Oregon established a federally compliant (“equal-to”) state red meat inspection program — a significant development for small and mid-size producers who previously had to rely on USDA-inspected plants, which are often far from rural farms. The State Meat Inspection Program helps farmers and ranchers provide inspected meat products to consumers that meet the same regulatory safeguards that the USDA requires, but on a local scale.

Oregon has a red meat state inspection program that began in 2022, although there are only a few plants as of 2025 under that program. The program expects to grow — it was combined with a grant funding program to help facilities make the necessary upgrades to come under inspection.

One important limitation: federally inspected products can be shipped over state lines and internationally to many countries, but ODA state-inspected products can be sold anywhere within the state of Oregon but cannot be sold across state lines at this time. If you’re selling exclusively within Oregon, state inspection is a viable and often more accessible option than federal inspection.

The slaughter and processing of poultry and rabbits are not covered by the State Meat Inspection Program at this time. Poultry producers must follow a separate set of rules described below.

To apply, if you already have a meat license issued by ODA, you can request an application to apply to the State Meat Inspection Program. Note: a meat license does not automatically mean you are operating under the State Meat Inspection Program. Email your request to ODA’s State Meat Inspection Program at StateMeatInspection@oda.oregon.gov.

The Custom Slaughter Exemption in Oregon

The custom slaughter exemption is one of the most useful tools available to small Oregon livestock producers, but it comes with strict limits that are easy to misunderstand. A custom-exempt processor may only slaughter and process livestock for the exclusive use of the owners of the livestock or poultry. That means the meat cannot be sold after processing — it goes back only to whoever owned the animal before slaughter.

The practical workaround for farmers is selling the live animal — or shares of a live animal — before it goes to slaughter. Some producers choose to sell live animals, which the customers, as the new owners, can then have processed at a “custom-exempt,” state-licensed facility. For example, Farmer Smith sells one live steer to four people, each of whom gets a one-fourth share of the meat from that steer.

Packages of custom-processed meat and poultry must be labeled “NOT FOR SALE” and cannot be labeled with any other claim such as “natural” or “humane.” This label is required because, by law, the meat cannot be resold, traded, bartered, or donated after processing.

• You must sell the live animal (or shares in it) before slaughter — not after
• The buyer becomes a co-owner of the animal and arranges processing directly
• All custom-processed packages must be marked “NOT FOR SALE”
• If you sell more than four shares per animal, you and your processor are likely to come under additional scrutiny from both USDA and ODA, because it will appear that you are avoiding federal inspection and selling uninspected meat

Meat processed at a custom-exempt facility cannot be sold, only returned to the owner of the animal. The custom exemption was originally designed so that livestock producers could have their own livestock processed for their own home use. Stretching the exemption too far may cause it to be revoked for producers or for your farm to come under scrutiny.

For a comparison of how this exemption works in other states, see how Wisconsin and Texas handle custom slaughter rules for farm-direct producers.

Selling Poultry From Your Farm in Oregon

Poultry rules in Oregon operate under a separate framework from red meat, and small producers have more flexibility here than they do with beef or pork. In 2011, the Oregon Legislature passed the “Poultry Bill,” which mirrors the federal 1,000-bird exemption and allows a producer to process and sell up to 1,000 poultry per year direct to consumers without being a state-licensed processor.

Poultry growers slaughtering no more than 1,000 poultry per year for direct retail sales are not required to obtain an ODA license. This exemption applies to chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and other domesticated fowl you raise yourself. If you’re building a poultry operation and want to understand breed selection alongside these rules, the guides on meat chicken breeds and turkey breeds for meat are good starting points.

Beyond the 1,000-bird exemption, larger producers have additional options:

• Poultry producers may each process up to 20,000 birds per year that they have raised themselves in a state-licensed facility that meets state sanitation requirements.
• If a producer operates under the Small Enterprise Exemption (slaughter and cut-up only; also limited to 20,000 birds per year), they may purchase live birds raised by other producers, process them, and sell those birds back to the producers, who can then act as distributors.
• Federal and Oregon laws allow multiple producers to use the same mobile poultry processing unit to each process up to 20,000 birds of their own raising, on their own farms. The unit must meet state sanitation requirements but with some variation because it is mobile.

Under all of these options, the poultry must be sold within Oregon. You cannot ship Oregon-processed poultry across state lines, regardless of which exemption tier you operate under. If you’re also raising backyard poultry and want practical guidance on building that side of the business, see tips for starting a backyard poultry farming business.

Rabbits follow a slightly different path. All state-licensed poultry processors may legally handle rabbit as well. Rabbit is not considered an “amenable species” under federal law, so USDA inspection is not legally required for rabbit meat — though some commercial buyers may still ask for it. For breed selection, see meat rabbit breeds.

Important Note: The 1,000-bird exemption does not exempt you from zoning laws. In 2013, the Oregon legislature added the slaughtering, processing, and selling of up to 1,000 poultry as an outright permitted non-farm use, subject to specified limits, in areas zoned for exclusive farm use — but check with your county before assuming your property qualifies.

Where You Can Sell Farm Meat in Oregon

Where you can legally sell your farm meat depends directly on how it was processed. Oregon livestock producers selling retail cuts of meat by the package to consumers are required to have livestock slaughtered and processed at a facility inspected by the USDA or an ODA-inspected facility operating under the state red meat inspection program.

If your meat carries a USDA or ODA mark of inspection, you can generally sell it through the following channels:

• Farmers markets — with the appropriate ODA meat seller’s license
• Farm stands and on-farm sales — direct retail to consumers
• Restaurants and food service — wholesale sales are possible but may require additional licensing
• CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares — direct to subscribing members
• Online sales within Oregon — allowed for inspected product sold within state lines

There are firm limits on what custom-exempt and retail-exempt processors can do. Farmers cannot have their meat processed by a retail-exempt shop and then sell that meat at farmers markets, farmstands, etc. Retail-exempt processors cannot sell to other retail markets or to wholesalers or distributors. Only the retail-exempt shop can sell that meat directly to the end consumer.

For producers in other states wondering how these channel rules compare, see Missouri and Arkansas for state-by-state comparisons.

Licenses and Permits You May Need in Oregon

Most food establishments that slaughter, process, or sell raw meat need some type of meat license. Oregon separates processing and selling into different license categories, so you may need more than one depending on your operation.

Activity	License Required	Issuing Agency
Selling packaged raw meat at retail	ODA Meat Seller’s License	Oregon Department of Agriculture
Operating a slaughter facility	ODA Meat Slaughter License	Oregon Department of Agriculture
State-inspected red meat processing	State Meat Inspection Program grant	ODA (separate application from license)
Poultry under 1,000 birds/year direct retail	No ODA license required	N/A (exemption applies)
Poultry processing (1,001–20,000 birds)	ODA Poultry Processing License	Oregon Department of Agriculture
Custom slaughter (for animal owner only)	ODA Custom Slaughter License	Oregon Department of Agriculture

For meat or poultry, processing and selling require two separate licenses. For example, if you want to raise pigs and sell pork at a farmers market, your processor needs to be state-licensed (and in most cases USDA-inspected), but you must also hold your own meat seller’s license from ODA.

Some county governments may also require a meat seller’s license on top of the state-level ODA license. In addition to complying with USDA, ODA, and DEQ requirements, firms that raise, slaughter, or process meat animals must comply with local requirements. Contact your county before you begin selling.

A variance is required for smoking as a method of preservation, curing, drying or processing to make the meat shelf stable, vacuum packing, or any combination of these activities. If you plan to sell smoked sausage, cured hams, or vacuum-sealed cuts, check with ODA Food Safety about whether your processing method triggers a variance requirement.

Labeling Requirements in Oregon

Labeling rules in Oregon tie directly to which inspection program your meat came through. USDA FSIS-inspected meat will be labeled and bear a USDA mark of inspection on the label. ODA-inspected meat will be labeled and bear an ODA mark of inspection.

When you apply for state meat inspection, your business is assigned a unique “establishment number” that only your business can use on your labels. This number must appear on all products processed under the state program and is how ODA tracks product back to your facility.

For custom-exempt meat, the labeling rule is non-negotiable: packages of custom-processed meat and poultry must be labeled “NOT FOR SALE” and cannot be labeled with any other claim such as “natural” or “humane.”

For inspected retail meat, standard label elements required by ODA and USDA include:

• Product name (species and cut)
• Net weight
• Name and address of the processor
• Inspection mark (USDA or ODA establishment number)
• Handling instructions (e.g., “Keep Refrigerated” or “Keep Frozen”)
• Safe handling instructions for raw meat and poultry

Oregon law also addresses the labeling of meat products under ORS 619.066, requiring labeling to conform to ORS chapters 616 and 618, and separately addresses restrictions on use of words like “Grown in Oregon.” If you want to use origin or marketing claims on your packaging, verify those claims are permissible under Oregon law before printing labels.

Common Mistake: Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law does not cover meat. The only animal protein that can be sold without a license under the Farm Direct Rules is shell eggs. Do not assume your farm-direct exemption extends to beef, pork, or poultry cuts.

Who to Contact in Oregon Before You Start Selling

Getting the right information before you invest in processing equipment or sign a market vendor agreement can save you significant time and money. Oregon has multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdiction over farm meat sales, and each covers a different piece of the puzzle.

Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) — Food Safety Division
ODA is your primary contact for meat licenses, the State Meat Inspection Program, and poultry processing rules. Most food processing establishments that slaughter, process, or sell meat products are required to have some type of ODA Food Safety license. You can reach ODA Food Safety at oregon.gov/oda/food-safety or by emailing StateMeatInspection@oda.oregon.gov for state inspection program questions specifically.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
For federal inspection requirements, finding USDA-inspected plants near you, or understanding interstate commerce rules, USDA FSIS is the authoritative source. The FSIS is the federal government website for federal meat and poultry requirements. You can search federal rules and requirements, review compliance guidelines for various products, and review generic HACCP plans. Visit fsis.usda.gov for small business resources.

OSU Extension Service
Oregon State University’s Extension Service publishes some of the clearest plain-language guides available on Oregon meat processing rules. Their publication Meat and Poultry Processing Regulations in Oregon: A Short Guide and their FAQ on custom-exempt slaughter are both updated regularly and free to access.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
The Oregon DEQ regulates waste discharge in Oregon. Slaughter and processing waste must be disposed of by a method approved by DEQ or the local public health authority having jurisdiction. If you process on-farm or plan to land-apply any liquid animal waste, contact DEQ at (503) 229-5696 before you begin.

Your County Government
It is important that meat slaughter and processing firms contact their local government prior to operation to ensure their proposed activities are in compliance. County zoning rules, land-use permits, and local health authority requirements vary across Oregon and can affect whether certain processing activities are allowed on your property.

If you raise a variety of farm animals and want to understand the broader landscape of what’s possible on your property, the guide to farm animals covers species-specific considerations worth reviewing alongside these regulatory requirements. Producers raising sheep specifically for meat should also review meat-producing sheep breeds as part of their planning process.