Processing and inspection

Our beef and pork is inspected, processed and packaged at relatively small, family-owned USDA-inspected processing plants with decades of experience. Onsite USDA inspectors oversee the daily processing and packaging of all products for safety and compliance with government regulations.

Our chickens are processed under a federal exemption for small farmers that allows us to process our own chickens on our farm. We abide by the best practices in our on-farm facility that ensure the product is safe and sanitary. We do not use chlorine in the ice water for chilling our birds - just pure ice and water.

Chicken processing is a huge hurdle for most family farms across the United States (us included).  The exemption that allows us to process on-farm is critical in getting truly pasture-raised chicken products from the farm to the consumer.  Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a valuable organization that protects the rights of farmers and consumers to engage in direct commerce.  Consider supporting them in order to support local food across the United States.

Here is a section in our Terms and Conditions that addresses Point of Sale and Transfer of Title.

We have been instructed by the SCMPID to include this clause on our website: 

Notice: Watson Farms poultry is processed under the P.L. 90-492 Federal Producer/Grower Exemption. These products are sold as intrastate transactions occurring in Chester, SC, and are not intended for sale in interstate commerce. Pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, all sales are consummated at our farm facility where legal title passes to the customer.