Butcher’s license in South Africa

Do you want to start a slaughterhouse in South Africa and need a license? here is a detailed guide on how to get a butcher’s license in South Africa.

The butcher’s job is quite simple. They sell meat to the general public and to businesses like restaurants and catering establishments that need meat to accompany their meals. In addition to selling meat, they also produce meat products such as biltong, baked patties, marinated meats, and cold cuts.

In addition to the obvious source of purchasing meat and other supplies they may need, butchers must also accept supplies and / or collect supplies, store meat properly, and know how to operate various mechanisms. While some may ignore it, the butcher must also have adequate human skills to properly meet the needs of his customers and offer them advice on the best meats, sizes and cooking methods. ,

However, before you can open your butcher shop to sell meat in South Africa, you will need to obtain a license. In fact, according to the Meat Industry Act 2093, you cannot start your butcher shop without a license from PrimeSafe.

To get a PrimeSafe license you need:

  • make sure your store meets standard design requirements.
  • Have a written agreement with a third party auditor approved by PrimeSafe.
  • Apply for a license with the appropriate fees.

You should try to submit your PrimeSafe license application at least ten days before the day you are about to open your butcher shop.

Application form

You can apply online or download the application form and fill it out. he.

To submit an application online, you will need to pay with a credit card; however, the primary card is the only card accepted for this payment, as there is an additional charge of 0.35% of the total amount payable. It should also be noted that the online form is exclusively for new applications, as this method cannot be used to renew an expired butcher’s license.

Updating applications

The validity period of a retail butcher’s license is from January 1 to December 31. PrimeSafe will send you a renewal request around November. It is very important that you renew your license before your license expires to ensure that your license is always up to date to prevent your business from shutting down because you were working with an invalid license.

If you don’t renew your license by December, you will also have to pay a fine and annual renewal fee.

5 Requirements for obtaining a butcher’s license in South Africa

1. Name of applicant and designated operator: you must first obtain the name under which your license will work. The applicant can be you, the partnership or your company. However, please note that Primesafe will not allow you to use a business name or trade name as an applicant.

In addition, you will need to appoint an operator for your store. The position of an operator is very important as he or she will be responsible for what happens in the store. In case the applicant is a business, the operator must be an employee of the business.

If the requester is a partner, the operator must be a partner. However, if the applicant is a person, the operator should automatically be that person.

2. Third party auditor:

Then you will need to find a third party auditor who has been approved by PrimeSafe for your application. You hire a third party auditor to audit your business after the PrimeSafe license is granted. You will then need to contact a third party auditor and obtain a written agreement for audit services before applying.

You will need to prove to Primesafe that you have actually used the services of a third party auditor to perform audits of your store, otherwise you will not receive a license.

In the event that confirmation by the audit service has not been received within 30 days of the preliminary license verification, your request will be withdrawn. In this case, they will refund the annual fee you paid, but you will not be refunded the filing fee.

3.Construction inspection: Before applying, you must make sure that your institution meets all the required standards, otherwise your application may be rejected.

4. Standards and guidelines.

Once your request is processed, you will be contacted by a PrimeSafe license manager who will contact you to determine the appropriate time to pre-select your property prior to obtaining a license. See if it meets the requirements of relevant standards already established for butchers.

When it is determined that your business meets the building requirements, you will be authorized to commence operations. However, if you don’t want to start your business right away, you should set a start date within 30 days of the verification.

At the end of this period and you have not yet started to work, your application will be canceled. The annual fees will be reimbursed, but you will have to waive the administrative fees.

If your installation does not meet building code requirements, you will have an additional 30 days to resolve the issue. problems that were found. You will receive specific information on the issues that have been identified in writing by the PrimeSafe License Manager, and there will be another review from your institution to see if you have resolved the above issues.

If you are unable to resolve the issues found within 30 days of the initial verification, your request will be canceled. The annual fee will be refunded and the filing fee waived.

5. Issuance of a license: you will be licensed to operate a retail butcher shop when it is confirmed that the following standards are met.

  • You have used the audit services of a third party auditor approved by PrimeSafe; and
  • Your installation meets the construction requirements of the corresponding standard.

You will receive a copy of the following documents: license certificate, license conditions, relevant standards and guidelines, and PrimeSafe licensee statutes. It is very important that you have a clear understanding of the status of your license. If there is any confusion, you should contact the PrimeSafe office.

You can bookmark this page