Do butchers need a licence in Australia?

No. There is no personal butcher's licence in any state or territory. The shop or processing plant needs a food business licence or meat safety accreditation - for example PrimeSafe in Victoria or the NSW Food Authority in New South Wales - but the licence attaches to the premises and the operator, not to you as a tradesperson.

How do I become a butcher?

The standard route is an Australian Apprenticeship of about three to four years with a butcher shop, supermarket meat room or processor, working toward AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher). There are no formal entry requirements for the qualification itself.

What qualification do butchers hold?

AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) is the trade qualification. It covers cutting and boning, smallgoods, equipment maintenance, packaging, stock management, food safety programs, hygiene and work health and safety.

Which award covers butchers?

Butchers in dedicated meat businesses and processing plants are generally covered by the Meat Industry Award 2020 (MA000059). Butchers working in supermarkets are usually covered by the General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004). Check the coverage clauses, since the classification you sit in drives your entitlements.

Is butchering a declining trade?

Supermarket centralisation has reduced traditional shopfront numbers, but demand persists in independent and specialty retail, wholesale supply to hospitality, and processing. Skilled boners and smallgoods makers remain sought after, and the trade appears regularly on skills shortage discussions.

Can I work as a butcher without a Certificate III?

Yes, because there is no licence gate - employers can and do hire unqualified meat room staff. But the Certificate III is what employers treat as trade status, and it is the basis for higher award classifications and for interstate or overseas skills recognition.

What does a butcher do beyond cutting meat?

A qualified butcher buys and assesses stock, controls yield and pricing, manufactures smallgoods, maintains the cold chain and HACCP records, presents the retail display, advises customers on cuts and cooking, and manages equipment hygiene and maintenance.

Butchers jobs in Australia

Butchers select, bone, cut, trim and present meat and poultry for sale, and make smallgoods such as sausages and cured products. It is a trade occupation entered through an Australian Apprenticeship, and no state or territory requires an individual butcher to hold an occupational licence.

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Vacancies

Current vacancies

No butchers roles are listed on Valont right now. Licensing and local context below still apply — this page updates when a matching role is published.

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Locations

Where we cover butchers

AdelaideSA AlbanyWA Albury-WodongaNSW/VIC Alice SpringsNT ArmidaleNSW BairnsdaleVIC BallaratVIC Batemans BayNSW BathurstNSW BendigoVIC Blue MountainsNSW BrisbaneQLD Broken HillNSW BroomeWA BunburyWA BundabergQLD BurnieTAS BusseltonWA CairnsQLD CanberraACT Central CoastNSW Charters TowersQLD Coffs HarbourNSW DarwinNT DevonportTAS DubboNSW EchucaVIC EmeraldQLD GeelongVIC GeraldtonWA GladstoneQLD Gold CoastQLD GoulburnNSW GriffithNSW GympieQLD Hervey BayQLD HobartTAS HorshamVIC IpswichQLD KalgoorlieWA KarrathaWA LauncestonTAS LismoreNSW LoganQLD MackayQLD MandurahWA MaryboroughQLD MelbourneVIC MeltonVIC MilduraVIC Mount GambierSA Mount IsaQLD Murray BridgeSA NewcastleNSW NowraNSW OrangeNSW PerthWA Port HedlandWA Port LincolnSA Port MacquarieNSW QueanbeyanNSW RedlandsQLD RockhamptonQLD RomaQLD SaleVIC SheppartonVIC Sunshine CoastQLD SydneyNSW TamworthNSW TareeNSW ToowoombaQLD TownsvilleQLD TraralgonVIC Wagga WaggaNSW WangarattaVIC WarrnamboolVIC WarwickQLD WhyallaSA WollongongNSW

Licensing

Licensing by state

Butchering is not a licensed occupation in any Australian state or territory - there is no personal butcher's licence anywhere. Regulation attaches to the business and the premises, not the tradesperson. Retail butcher shops require a food business licence or registration from the local council or state food regulator, and abattoirs, boning rooms and smallgoods manufacturers face heavier accreditation under state meat safety schemes and, for export, Commonwealth oversight. The state variation is entirely in premises licensing and meat safety accreditation.

the Australian Capital Territory: Not a licensed occupation. Butchers operate under a food business registration issued by ACT Health through Access Canberra under the Food Act 2001 (ACT). No individual licence applies.
New South Wales: Not a licensed occupation. Butcher shops and meat processors are licensed by the NSW Food Authority under the Food Act 2003 (NSW) meat safety scheme, and must appoint a Food Safety Supervisor. The individual butcher holds no licence.
the Northern Territory: Not a licensed occupation. Meat premises are registered with the NT Department of Health under the Food Act 2004 (NT) and NT meat industry arrangements. No personal butcher licence exists.
Queensland: Not a licensed occupation. Retail butchers hold a food business licence from the local government under the Food Act 2006 (Qld); meat processing and wholesaling is accredited by Safe Food Production Queensland. No personal butcher licence exists.
South Australia: Not a licensed occupation. Meat processing and retail meat premises are accredited by Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) under the state meat hygiene arrangements, alongside council food notification. No personal butcher licence exists.
Tasmania: Not a licensed occupation. Meat premises are accredited under Tasmanian meat hygiene arrangements administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, with council food registration. The butcher holds no personal licence.
Victoria: Not a licensed occupation. Meat premises are licensed by PrimeSafe under the Meat Industry Act 1993 (Vic), which covers retail butchers, processors and smallgoods makers. The licence sits with the premises, not the butcher.
Western Australia: Not a licensed occupation. Butcher shops register as food businesses with the local government under the Food Act 2008 (WA), with the Department of Health WA as state regulator. No individual trade licence applies.

Role

What the job involves

Select and inspect carcasses, primals and poultry for quality, condition and specification
Bone, break down and portion carcasses into primal and retail cuts
Trim, tie, roll and present cuts for display and sale
Manufacture smallgoods including sausages, mince and value-added products
Operate and clean band saws, mincers, slicers, bowl cutters and vacuum packers
Apply meat hygiene, temperature control, cold chain and HACCP requirements
Advise customers on cuts, cooking methods, quantities and provenance
Manage stock rotation, yield, labelling and waste to control margin

Training

Qualifications and training

AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) - the trade qualification for butchers, delivered as an Australian Apprenticeship
Australian Apprenticeship of roughly three to four years combining paid work with the Certificate III; there are no formal entry requirements for the qualification
Food safety and meat hygiene training required by the employer's food business licence, with the specific units set by the state or territory food regulator rather than by a trade licence

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Knife skills, boning and seam butchery accuracy · Carcass and cut identification across beef, lamb, pork and poultry · Yield management and costing to protect margin · Smallgoods manufacture and curing technique · Meat hygiene, temperature control and HACCP compliance · Band saw, mincer and slicer operation and safe handling · Customer advice and retail display presentation · Stock ordering, rotation and waste reduction

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about butchers work in Australia.

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Sources

Butchers — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3512 Butchers and Smallgoods Makers - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/3/35/351/3512; training.gov.au AMP30815 Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) - https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/AMP30815; Fair Work Ombudsman list of awards - https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/awards/list-of-awards; PrimeSafe Victoria - https://www.primesafe.vic.gov.au/; NSW Food Authority - https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/; Safe Food Production Queensland - https://www.safefood.qld.gov.au/

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