Durham County Cattlemen's proposes federally-inspected abattoir

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

by DIANNE FETTERLY

The Durham County Cattlemen’s Association has hired the Mallot Creek Group inc. to complete a study to determine the feasibility of building a federally inspected abattoir to serve central and eastern Ontario.

The study is still in the first phase, explained Kerry Wright of Mallot Creek. “This includes a consultation stage to receive input from producers, processors, retailers and government.” The Mallot group has sent out announcements to producer-based associations and other members of the farming community to get their feedback, she added.

The announcement stated that the proposed plant would “serve the red meat sector in central and eastern Ontario, specifically east of Hwy 400 to the Quebec border. It would be a multi-species facility (cattle, veal, pigs, lamb and goats) that would address the regional needs in terms of capacity and services.”

The feasibility study began in November 2012 and will wrap up with the final report due on April 1. At that time, the project committee will look at the study to determine if the project is feasible and whether it will move onto the next stage, which would involve writing a business plan, Wright explained. The consultation portion of the study will continue until the end of February.

LeaAnne Hodgins of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association said that the proposed project is still in the very early stages but the association posted a notice in its weekly newsletter in January, so producers are aware and can provide feedback if they chose. BF