Buying local meat gets tougher, as more and more small abattoirs disappear from Ontario.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is hosting a public meeting Wednesday night in Elmwood to talk about why it’s happening, and how it can be changed.
OFA Regional Director for Grey Bruce, Paul Wetlauffer, says there were 900 abattoirs in Ontario 15 years ago, and now there are only about 150.
And of those 150, he says it’s shocking that only two have a triple-A rating.
He says it’s not the regulations on food safety that have local farmers concerned.
He says the language for safety regulations regarding certain tools and machinery inside the abattoirs is interpreted differently by each safety inspector.
Wetlauffer says they’d like to have it worded properly to give more small abattoirs a chance to stay open.
The public meeting is sponsored by several groups, including the Malcolm Branch of Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario.
Spokesperson Trudy Schwass says the loss of abattoirs poses a problem in producing and buying local meat.
She says farmers have to travel too far from their homes to process meat, which makes it more expensive and more difficult to have meat locally farmed.
Wetlauffer says if it continues, the government won’t be able to get the “Buy Local” initiative off the ground.
Tonight’s meeting is at the Elmwood Community Centre from 8 PM until 9:30 PM.
Everyone is welcome.
