Small scale meat producers in the Cariboo learned about some of the resources available to support them, and therefore local food security, on March 23.
Incorporated in 2018, the Small Scale Meat Producers Association (SSMPA) is a provincial non profit organization representing B.C. farmers and ranchers raising meat on a smaller scale, and meat processors. SSMPA founding members presented at the Cariboo Meat Up event at Thompson Rivers University.
Catering to growers raising meat outside the industrial system, the event was meant to bring together local producers with a number of resources and help improve local food security.
READ MORE: Cariboo livestock producers “meat up” at TRU event
SSMPA has representation across the province and includes poultry farmers, pig, goat and sheep farmers as well as beef ranchers. The group was formed after founders came together through social media.
“It’s been a lot of work but we’ve really had some big wins,” said Julia Smith, a founding member of the SSMPA.
Smith spoke to the crowd at the Meat Up event, before handing over the floor to other farmers and then a panel for question and answer from the audience.
Some of the advice from the panel included:
- Talk to people who are doing it
- Start with the guidelines from the Farmgate code of practice and pay attention to the difference between should and must
- Don’t be afraid of the regulations or the inspectors, they can be a great resource
- Starting an abattoir takes time and money, so if there is a local abattoir then work with them and develop a good relationship rather than starting up another
- Try to work with other producers to manage when animals come to slaughter so it isn’t all at the same time
During her talk, Smith said what the organization heard after a survey put out to meat producers in 2021, with a large response from the Cariboo as well, was access to slaughter is one of the biggest hurdles facing farmers and ranchers.
The group has since been working to find different ways to address this issue, including helping to pilot mobile slaughter trailers, which are being tested.
The group also helps producers access funding for different parts of their businesses, including developing an environmental farm plan.
With new regulations coming into effect in the fall of 2021 allowing on farm slaughter with Farmgate license changes, the group has been going around the province to share information and to increase meat-processing capacity and access in B.C. for small-scale producers. They have also been designing and making mobile slaughter trailers, which provide opportunities for farmers to have professional operators come to their farms and do the slaughter for them.
“If you wanna grow blueberries, you shouldn’t have to build a blueberry jam factory too,” said Smith, who said meat processing is a whole different business and having a professional do the processing can be better for animal welfare and quality.
She said the other advantage of having a professional come with a mobile facility is the operator comes with their own standard operating procedures, which then simplifies the Farmgate application.
She touched on labelling requirements, and insurance packages as well. The organization has been able to put together insurance packages for Farmgate businesses for members.
Steve Meggait from Fresh Valley Farms is a fourth-generation farmer in Armstrong, B.C. and another leader of the SSMPA, spoke at the Meat Up event as well.
Meggait raises organic beef, pork, chicken, and turkey. When the pork slaughterhouse in his area shut down with little notice, he lost his access to slaughter to bring his products to market.
Thanks to the new legislation allowing producers to slaughter their own meat, he was able to put together a system to slaughter his own pigs.
“The stability that it adds to my business to have this license, even though we don’t even want to use it anymore, now we have other options … is huge,” he said, noting the initial processing set-up was not meant to be a long-term setup.
Tristan Banwell of Spray Creek Ranch spoke about his poultry slaughter facility, who spoke about how having a Farmgate license provided him the opportunity to start out with a low-cost option in order to enter the market and then scale up over time.
“We really started with a rudimentary manual dunker,” he said, adding they slaughtered the animals outside and then eviscerated them inside.
“We were able to test the market and start at this small scale,” Banwell explained.
He now slaughters about 350 birds a day at his facility after receiving some grants during the COVID-19 pandemic to help improve food security in the province.
Other area producers who are raising pork, lamb and beef in the Cariboo and Peace regions then participated in a question and answer panel.
Matt Rempel, who operates Dino Meats Butcher Services, also spoke about his on-site slaughter operation and said the government is actually working with producers to enable people to access the market through these programs.
“It’s not as complicated, it’s just intimidating,” he said of opening a Farmgate operation.
“We are here because we want to help encourage farmers to expand their operations because I understand that, and they understand that, without capacity to process and slaughter you guys can’t expand your capacity as well,” he said.
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