Halal Hand Slaughter & USDA vs GADA Requirements

​USDA, GADA ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT REGULATE THE SLAUGHTERING AND BUTCHERING OF MEAT. WE UTILIZE EACH TO SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES: GADA FOR PRE-SOLD BULK ORDERS; USDA FOR FARMERS MARKETS, OUT OF STATE ORDERS AND CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T WISH TO ORDER IN BULK.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) requires that government employed inspectors oversee the process of unloading, killing, cutting and wrapping of all animals being processed. Said processing must be done at a USDA certified facility. Once packaged, USDA cuts can be sold to individuals, restaurants, stores, customers who reside across state lines, and at farmers markets. 

While most of us have seen seeing images of factory slaughter facilities where the animals are hoisted onto a conveyor belt or hung from a hind leg, the facilities we use are NOT that. They are relatively small “mom and pop” shops, and we take care in selecting USDA facilities that are certified AWA (Animal Welfare Approved) and observe the organization’s requirements for humane slaughter and allow us to slaughter our animals the true Halal way (by hand without stunning) taking advantage of the USDA "ritual slaughter" exemption.  

GADA
GADA (Georgia Department of Agriculture) is an exemption that saves small ranches from the more costly USDA requirements. GADA slaughter takes place on-site. The meat is then dry-aged, cut, wrapped and frozen in our butcher shop.
GADA orders are not allowed to be shipped or distributed outside Georgia state. Another key requirement for GADA is that the animal must be sold to a customer prior to the kill. The deposit, which we collect when you place your bulk order of whole, half, quarter or eighth, satisfies this requirement. Meat must also be priced by live weight. Learn more HERE.