Understanding Alberta Abattoir Licences
Requirements can change and individual circumstances differ. Always verify current requirements with the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and other applicable authorities.
An Alberta abattoir licence allows livestock to be slaughtered within the provincial inspected meat system.
What an abattoir does
An abattoir receives live animals for slaughter and prepares carcasses under the applicable inspection system.
Under Alberta’s provincial system, inspection services are provided for licensed abattoir slaughter.
Why the licence matters
Meat produced through the appropriate inspected system can enter the commercial food supply within Alberta, subject to applicable requirements.
This is fundamentally different from private-use uninspected slaughter.
Abattoirs can provide additional processing
Facilities may offer services such as:
- slaughter
- carcass chilling
- aging
- cutting and wrapping
- grinding
- packaging
- other meat processing
Actual services vary by facility.
Some abattoirs can be mobile
Alberta’s licensing framework also provides for multi-location or mobile abattoirs.
A mobile abattoir operates under the inspected abattoir framework. A Mobile Butcher Licence is a separate private-use slaughter category producing uninspected meat.
Provincial and federal establishments are different
An Alberta provincially licensed abattoir should not automatically be described as federally licensed. Federal requirements become particularly important where meat is prepared for interprovincial or international trade.
Last reviewed: September 2026.