As pet food recall after recall is announced in the news, more concerned pet owners are turning to raw food to feed their animals. This is bad news for the pet food industry, but good news for meat producers.
Selling meat to raw feeders is a great value added income stream if you already have a meat business. Bones, organs and other offal are great for pet food, giving you more income on a product you may already be producing.
Regulations on meat for pet food can be easier to comply with than those for human consumption, another bonus if you live in a tightly regulated state.
Getting Started Supplying Meat to Raw Feeders
If you’re not already raising a meat source as part of another business, the quickest animal to get started with is going to be rabbits. We feed our dogs rabbit and think it’s one of the best meats in terms of production and turnaround time. Complete dog rations are another discussion, but for a basic start, rabbits can’t be beat. You can direct market these to buyers and may even be able to find a whole rabbit market, eliminating the step of processing altogether.