Further meat processing facility licence

Who this licence suits?

What you can do

A further meat processing facility processing licence lets you pack and/or store meat or poultry for human consumption.

With this licence, you can:

process meat products to sell for human consumption by wholesale
store meat products to sell for human consumption by wholesale
pack meat products to sell for human consumption by wholesale
manufacture smallgoods to sell by wholesale
process runners and casings to sell by wholesale
retail meat products originating from the further meat processing facility
render prime tallow

With this licence, you can operate the following if all the meat and
by-products come from your further meat processing facility:

retail butcher shop
prime tallow processing facility

What you cannot do

slaughter animals - you need an abattoir licence
slaughter poultry - you need a poultry processing facility licence
process, store or pack pet food- you need a pet food establishment licence
transport meat or seafood - you need a meat transport vehicle licence

Licence conditions and standards
Licence conditions require all meat processing facilities to comply with relevant Australian and Victorian standards and guidelines.
There are steps your business must complete before we can issue a licence.
Before you apply
Before applying, you must prepare your business to meet licence requirements.
To learn what you need to do and how to apply, read apply for a licence.
After you receive your licence
Once we issue your licence, you must comply with your licence conditions at all times.
If you do not understand your licence conditions, contact us for help.
Standards and guidelines you must follow
- Use the Australian Standard for the Hygienic production of natural casings for human consumption (AS 4465) when you process, store and transport natural casings for human consumption.
  Australian Standard for the Hygienic production of natural casings for human consumption
- Use the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption (AS 4696) when you process, transport or store meat and meat products for human consumption.
  Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption
- Use the AMRG Guidelines for the Management of Listeria if you manufacture packaged ready‑to‑eat meat, or if you buy ready‑to‑eat meat products to slice, portion and package for sale.
AMRG – Guidelines for the Management of Listeria (Standard 4.2.3)
PDF 163.96 KB

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Further meat processing facilities are audited in their first week of operation and then weekly until their Quality Assurance Program is fully implemented. Once implemented, further meat processing facilities are audited every twelve months.

Further meat processing facilities that manufacture smallgoods are audited every six months.

Audits are conducted by a Safe Food Victoria approved auditor.

More information on audits.

Apply for a licence

How to apply for a Safe Food Victoria licence.

Fees and charges

Safe Food Victoria fees and charges for dairy, meat, poultry and seafood businesses.

Updated 6 July 2026