Tennessee processing guide
If you are raising or buying an animal to fill your freezer, the way it is processed matters.
Custom-exempt processing is for an animal owner’s household use. The finished meat cannot be sold.
Ownership must be established before slaughter.
Custom-exempt meat cannot become retail inventory.
This article covers cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats—not poultry or rabbits.
Ownership comes before slaughter
For custom-exempt livestock processing, you must own the live animal before slaughter. A customer may buy an animal from a farmer shortly beforehand and arrange custom processing. Buying packaged meat after slaughter is a different transaction. See the federal custom-exemption rule in 9 CFR 303.1 (opens in a new tab).
Before arranging delivery, make sure the farmer, owner, and processor agree on whose animal is being processed. Ask the processor which ownership and identification records to provide. If several people are involved in an animal purchase, clarify the arrangement before scheduling.
What “NOT FOR SALE” means
Changing a label or obtaining a retail permit does not make custom-exempt meat saleable.
Tennessee’s custom-slaughter guidance requires each individual package to carry the NOT FOR SALE marking. See the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s basic custom-slaughter requirements (opens in a new tab).
Under the federal custom exemption, the permitted users are the owner, members of the owner’s household, nonpaying guests, and employees. That is a specific private-use group, not permission to distribute meat to the public. See the USDA FSIS Custom Exempt Review Process (opens in a new tab).
You cannot sell extra custom-exempt packages at a market, through social media, or to a restaurant. Plan the quantity you purchase around the permitted household use.
Facility oversight and meat inspection are different
Custom-slaughter facilities are subject to sanitation and facility requirements. That oversight does not make custom-exempt meat USDA-inspected. The animals and resulting meat do not receive the same inspection applied to products produced under federal inspection. See the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s basic requirements (opens in a new tab) and the USDA FSIS Custom Exempt Review Process (opens in a new tab).
“Custom-exempt” describes the processing status. It does not simply mean choosing your preferred cuts.
Planning to sell packaged meat instead?
Say so before booking processing. For the Tennessee livestock sales discussed here, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture directs producers selling meat by the cut to a USDA-inspected facility for processing and packaging. Custom-exempt meat cannot be converted into saleable inventory afterward.
Questions to settle before your appointment
- Who owns the animal before slaughter?
- Will the finished meat be used only by the permitted private-use group?
- What ownership and animal-identification information does the processor need?
- Which cut sheet should you use, and when are instructions due?
- What are the pickup arrangements for your appointment?
Review Underground Processing’s pork, lamb and sheep, or goat service page, then discuss your intended use before scheduling. This helps identify the appropriate processing arrangement before the animal arrives.
Official resources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 9 CFR 303.1—Exemptions (opens in a new tab)
- Tennessee Department of Agriculture: Custom Slaughter and Deer Processing—Basic Requirements (opens in a new tab)
- USDA FSIS: Custom Exempt Review Process (opens in a new tab)
Questions about Tennessee requirements?
Contact the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Food and Dairy Section at 615-837-5193 or NewFood.Business@tn.gov.
This article provides general customer education, not legal advice. Requirements can change, and individual ownership or business arrangements may require additional guidance. Confirm the requirements for your particular arrangement before proceeding. Sources reviewed September 22, 2026.