
Vermont has two state-inspected and four USDA-inspected on-farm poultry slaughter and processing facilities (USDA inspection is required to sell across state lines). Five of these facilities slaughter only poultry they have raised, while one offers services to other producers. All other Vermont poultry is slaughtered on-farm with an exemption from state inspection, which restricts how and where birds can be sold, and limits slaughter to under 1,000 birds annually.
Over the last decade, and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have become increasingly willing to pay a premium to food products that prioritize humane animal practices, environmental considerations, and transparent production claims.2 Unfortunately, most Vermont producers processing with an on-farm inspection exemption, who could take advantage of this consumer trend, can only sell birds whole and only on-farm, at local farmers markets, or to local restaurants. Small producers can take their birds to a licensed facility in order to have them processed into specific cuts, but as mentioned above, only one Vermont facility offers this service. On-farm licensed facilities with the ability to process birds raised on other farms struggle with the choice of triggering stricter labor requirements or supporting the success of small poultry operations.