more

Click here to sign up
for the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.

Share the EXTRA


American Angus Association

American Angus Tag Store


Angus Productions Inc

Click here to learn more about Angus Productions Inc. and the resources it offers.

 

Certified Angus Beef

Click here to
learn about the
brand that pays.

 

Angus e-list

Want daily industry news and Angus advertisements?
Sign up for
the Angus e-List.


Click here for a list of upcoming events


 

 


 

Angus Productions Inc.

 

June 20, 2010

Slaughter Availability

USDA identifies gaps, releases maps detailing U.S. local meat processing facilities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a preliminary study May 25 revealing existing gaps in the regional food systems regarding the availability of slaughter facilities to small meat and poultry producers. The study by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is a first attempt to identify areas in the United States where small livestock and poultry producers are concentrated but may not have access to a nearby slaughter facility.
Comment on this article.
"To support consumer demand for locally produced agricultural products, meat producers need to have access to local or regional slaughter facilities, and the study we are releasing today shows that there is often a shortage of facilities needed to bring food to market," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The data creates a county-by-county view of the continental United States, indicating the concentration of small farms raising cattle, hogs and pigs, and chicken, and also noting the location of nearby state slaughter facilities and small and very small federal slaughter establishments. The USDA defines "small slaughter establishments" as those having between 10 and 499 employees, and "very small slaughter establishments" as having fewer than 10 employees or less than $2.5 million in annual sales. For the purpose of the study, small-scale livestock and poultry producers are those who have annual sales of $250,000 or less.

The presentation "Slaughter Availability to Small Livestock and Poultry Producers — Maps" may be found online at www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/KYF_maps-050410_FOR_RELEASE.pdf. These findings are released as part of USDA's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative, which emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers.


















 

[Click here to go to the top of the page.]