Not all customers want or need their meat boned, so we have changed the standard cut to make boning a requested service, not a routine one. This can still be done, but there will be a $10 change for boning and rolling a leg or shoulder.
Grinding also has not always been needed so that too will be taken out of the standard cut and done only on request for a small surcharge.
To see the revised Standard Salt Sprng Lamb Cut please CLICK HERE.
The abattoir has been going for just over 1 year. It’s time to celebrate! A dinner with local food and entertainment will be held on Saturday November 30th at the Farmers Institute from 6 to 10 pm.
Tickets are available from Salt Spring Books and Fox Glove Farm and Garden Supply for $35 per person.
This is a fundraising event to help finish paying for the original construction and to help to fledgling business get through the quiet times in mid-winter. If you are unable to attend but would like to support the abattoir with a donation to the silent auction please contact us.
Financial contributions are welcome at any time – please click here to donate.
In the case of the abattoir saw which broke down last week, about a dozen if you count all the helpful people, both amateur and professional, who sprang to our aid and helped diagnose the problem, locate and deliver the parts and get them installed. Thanks to all involved, including the many electricians who responded to our call for help, and the volunteer butchers from Country Grocer who helped to finish the lamb cutting in a timely manner. It’s great to know that so many people are willing to pitch in when things start to go wrong.
The staff and directors appreciate this demonstration of widespread community support for the service the abattoir provides.
Would you like to learn how to tan sheep skins? A workshop is being planned for later this year. Please use the Contact Us form to let us know if you would like to receive details of this event, which will be a fund raiser for the abattoir.
If you do not have your own sheepskins we will be able to supply them from the abattoir for a small handling fee.
Three new volunteers have joined the board of the Salt Spring Abattoir Society, making a total of 8 directors. Vera Robinson of Hope Hill Farm and Brian Brett of Willowpond Farm have both been abattoir customers with lambs and poultry. The third is Murray Coates, who helped the Livestock Producers design and build the abattoir.
The five directors from the first year are continuing their involvement. They are Jean Brouard (chair), Deb Fedorak (treasurer), Roland Cook (secretary), Margaret Thomson (Agricultural Alliance representative) and Mark Hughes.
Several other farmers have expressed interest in joining the board at some future date. The next AGM must be held within 6 months of the abattoir’s year end, which means before the end of June 2014. To find out more about what is involved in serving as a director please enquire through Contact Us.
The abattoir will close for floor repairs from Monday 23rd September, and will reopen on Wednesday October 9th for poultry. Lamb slaughter will resume on October 16th.
The popular lamb cuts include:
The first Abattoir Society AGM will be held on Monday September 9th at the Lions Hall, Bonnet Avenue, 7-9 pm..
The meeting is open to members, membership will be available on the date, and interested members of the public are also welcome.
The chicken prices now in effect have rarely brought in enough revenue to cover labour, and need to be adjusted to make sure that they cover labour, as well as supplies and overhead, or chicken processing cannot continue. The Abattoir Society directors have reviewed the poultry operation very thoroughly and have concluded that a discount for quantity is not justified in a plant that does everything by hand and does not have to stop work every time a new batch is started, as the larger operators do.
We also see very clearly that larger birds take more time. The time taken is directly proportional to the weight of the birds, so the price should reflect that. Two months ago we floated the idea of a surcharge of $2 for chickens over a certain weight. In discussing this with clients and with other small poultry abattoirs we came to the conclusion that the average chicken weight for the batch should be used instead of the number of chickens over a certain weight, which is more work to record and a possible source of errors and disputes. Our scales can print out the total batch weight and we know exactly how many chickens were processed, so the average weight is one simple calculation.
Therefore on August 15th the new fee scale will be in effect:
This abattoir was built with tax dollars and donations from farmers and supporters of local food production. It is owned by this community and operated by a volunteer board that employs island workers. It cannot survive in business if it continues to make a loss, so these changes have to be made. As the volume of work increases (and it has already surpassed the estimates used in the planning stages) and beef and pork are added, the financial picture should become rosier. Until that happens we ask for your understanding and co-operation in making this project a success.
The abattoir is not quite finished and needs money to complete the work required to safely process pigs and cattle. We have a Salt Spring solution, called ShareSpring which is a new crowdfunding platform. This is intended to attract the attention of a wider public who would be willing to support this community’s efforts to increase food production in a sustainable way.
The campaign to “Save Our Farms” will strike a chord with all who care about animal welfare and this island’s economic health. The abattoir has already simplified meat production logistics and is providing job opportunities for local workers.
It can do far more once it is fully operational, (now handling sheep and poultry only) and with your help and the help of your social media contacts we can get there. Please pass this message on to your friends. If we can reach 5000 people who will donate $10 each that’s $50,000!
Click Here for the ShareSpring ‘Save Our Farms’ donations page
