Mike Monroe’s new small-scale slaughterhouse could be up and running by August, now that his operator Mark Roth has nearly finished his training.
The plant will bridge the gap for local farmers who are burdened with high costs to ship animals to Barriere or Prince George to slaughter them.
The new plant already has the go-ahead from government, having received a Class A license for the abattoir, which is located a few kilometres outside McBride on Mountainview Road. Monroe plans to slaughter up to 20 animals a week under his business Monroe Creek Meats Ltd.
Because the meat is provincially inspected, once cut and wrapped, the meat can be sold to restaurants and grocery stores.
Monroe says while the facility will be open five days a week and employ three to four people, slaughter will be just once a week. On slaughter day, a licensed CFIA inspector will need to come to McBride to inspect the carcasseses to ensure they meet food safety and animal health standards established under the Food and Drugs Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Monroe says the facility is a community project and the benefit is community wide.
Local restaurant owners have already pledged to buy local meat from the facility.
While Monroe Creek Meats is not set up for processing poultry, they are in contact with a company that provides a mobile chicken slaughterhouse that could operate under his license once a month or depending on demand.
Without a mobile slaughterhouse, farm gate permits may still be available for licensed farmers to slaughter chickens on their farms, depending on government assessment.
https://www.therockymountaingoat.com/2011/10/monroe-meat-plant-set-to-go-in-mcbride/
