Is There a Future for Independent Plants?

March 26, 2010 on 8:37 pm | By Emily in Agricultural Policy, Consumer Buying Power, Family Farms, Food Safety, Home Feature, Processing Plants, The Big Picture 4 Comments

The demand for locally produced meats is well-documented, and there are farmers eager to produce it. Too often the bottleneck in this scenario is simply an absence of independent processing facilities. A new report by Food and Water Watch explores the reasons behind this absence and the changes that would be needed to rectify it.

Entitled, “Where’s the Local Beef?,” the report describes an monopolistic industry that favors large operations at the expense of smaller ones. Despite a large number of small start-ups, the authors note that most of these will go out of business. The current regulatory and industrial climate is just not designed for independent slaughter plants – existing or planned.

Among the obstacles faced by smaller plants (defined as having fewer than 500 employees) are: scale-inappropriate regulations, lack of skilled personnel, and a near absence of competition in the industry. For instance in 2005, the top four beef-packing companies controlled over 80% of the market. Highlighting numerous interviews with independent plant owners, the report offers insight into the daily challenges faced by this important component of our local food economies. Finally, the authors offer suggestions and recommendations to facilitate their growth. Download the entire report here.

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Yes there is…2 new ones just opened..and another is expanding…all within about 40 miles of Green Bay

Comment by Debby Brandenburg — March 29, 2010 #
I hope the future is bright for independent facilities. Would also like to see a lot more of the mobile units.

Comment by Kitty Gavin — March 29, 2010 #
What about mobile slaughterhouses?
http://www.chow.com/stories/10190

Comment by Jason Smith — March 29, 2010 #
The independent, farmer-run slaughterhouses are ultimately what value added, niche producers, or small scale farmers need to be successful. Farmers need to be involved with the processing, and product producing capabilities. There are two-independent slaughterhouses in the works in a 100 mile radius of our farm; and …hopefully they will both be successful, and create a healthy competition for what small local livestock producers are looking for. Pastured hog producers need products like bratwurst, specialty sausages, hams smoked, bacon products, and beef producers need their carcasses aged longer to secure higher prices. It is the way of the future
http://www.crosscreekfarmnc.com/

Comment by Colette Nester — March 29, 2010 #

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Is There a Future for Independent Plants?

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