Did you see him?

Did you see him Saturday? He came for his unannounced visit. It was the NC Department of Ag  Meat and Poultry  Compliance Officer. He was there at the Apex Farmer’s Market on Saturday and since I am now the only meat vendor at the market, I got a special visit.

Now, it shouldn’t, but officers of any type always rattle my nerves. I shouldn’t let it rattle me, but it does. But that said, all went really really well! Other than having some strange looks from customers and other vendors, like “what are you doing wrong?” he had one comment about wording in my brochure. The Compliance officer said everything looked and sounded good. That I’m not doing anything “wrong” and I am compliant!

So why did he come? Well, since I am registered and regulated by the State of NC as a Small Poultry Producer, processing under 1000 birds a year, he can and does make unannounced visits to check up on all vendors to make sure everything is legal, healthy, clean… as it should be. He will be making a visit to our farm to check our procedures for processing to make sure we are providing you with a clean, unadulterated product. I look forward to his visit. I am always looking for ways to improve my product and I look forward to his comments.

So, the next time you see a NC Ag Compliance Officer, be glad you do. He is there to protect you, making sure you are getting a clean and legal product, and me by “keeping the playing field level”.