Meat Processing Inspection and Licensing

You must have a provincial licence to operate, construct or maintain any facility used to kill or process animals intended for human consumption. A veterinarian must inspect and approve all carcasses in the licensed facility before the meat can be offered for sale after processing.

Any meat products processed for sale outside Prince Edward Island must come from a facility approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Provincially licensed facilities and animals are inspected regularly and approved under the authority of the Public Health Act Slaughter House Regulations.

These regulations do not apply to food processed at a federally inspected facility or food processed only for personal consumption and not for sale to the public.

All licences expire December 31^st and must be renewed each year.

How do I get a slaughterhouse or processing licence?

There is currently no fee for a slaughter house licence issued under the Public Health Act.  Please contact the Environmental Health office at 902-368-4970 or 1-800-958-6400 or envhealth@ihis.org to speak with an Environmental Health Officer about requirements for obtaining a licence.

Can I sell home-canned meat to the public?

Canning meat for sale to the public must be done in an inspected retort facility using a process approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.