Farmers want better access to slaughter options not red tape.
Author of the article: Glenda Luymes
Publishing date: Feb 17, 2021 • February 17, 2021 • 3 minute read • Julia Smith, owner of Blue Sky Ranch and a member of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. The group wants the B.C. government to improve slaughter capacity to allow farmers to meet the growing demand for local meat. Photo by Submitted photo /PNG
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B.C. farmers who want to slaughter animals on their own property must complete a new training course focused on food safety.
The announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture is the latest in a series of changes to B.C.’s slaughter system, which has come under fire from small-scale producers who say red tape is preventing them from meeting a growing demand for local meat.
Slaughter options at crisis level for BC farmers December 18, 2020 Stephen Law
The situation has become critical for small scale and midsize ranchers around the province as a lack of processing options for their livestock forces many of them to shut down or scale back their operations.
Due to on overburden of regulation and lack of available options, those who raise meat animals for consumption within the province are unable to secure processing options, which would turn their livestock into a consumer product. Some producers are losing appointments at abattoirs booked more than a year in advance, or are unable to book at all as available facilities are overloaded. Others are facing travel times in excess of 15 hours trying to have their livestock butchered.