Denver's slaughterhouse ban could impact food systems in Colorado and beyond

Ballot Measure 309 seeks to ban slaughterhouses in town and county of Denver. If passed, the measure would close just one facility. Superior farmswithin the Globeville neighborhood north of Denver.

I’m an associate professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. My research explores solutions to meat and food system challenges akin to food safety, market stability and sustainability. I'm a part of a research team that investigated this possible effects Ballot Measure 309 on the local, state, national and global meat supply chain.

Denver's only slaughterhouse

Superior Farms' lamb processing facility employs roughly 160 people and accounts for 15% to twenty% of production Total lamb slaughter capability within the U.S. Our study reports that the sheep harvested on the Denver facility come primarily from Colorado and the Mountain West region.

Colorado has rugged rangelands which are well suited to raising sheep. It is currently the third largest sheep producing state within the nation, to Texas and California.

Colorado is home to a different big one Lamb processing plant within the northeastern plains and 21 much smaller facilities across the state.

The ability of those processing plants to market meat to consumers is way lower than that of Superior Farms because of capability or inspection limitations. Our report found that closing the Denver facility would require many of the sheep harvested there to be harvested in other states as a substitute.

More likely, sheep farmers who’ve sent their lambs to Denver for harvest previously are unable or unwilling to ship them to other states for that reason increased costs And Concerns about impacts on animal welfare. As a result, many sheep farmers are having to make difficult decisions about their future, with some ultimately concluding that lamb production isn’t any longer viable.

Our study suggested a possible impact of two% Impact on the animal production industry across the country because of the proposed ban and closure of Superior Farms.

The Effectsobserved following the closure of meat processing plants in other regions include fewer sheep produced and a decline within the economic value of live sheep. They are also accompanied by a lack of employment opportunities within the livestock industry and a transition away from sheep production towards other businesses.

It's not only Superior Farms' size that makes it essential to the provision chain, but its ability to succeed in consumers in quite a lot of markets is critical to the sheep industry.

Federal inspection for market access essential

Only 33 of Colorado's 120 meat processing plants are inspected by the agency U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. The remaining facilities are considered exempt from federal inspection and are as a substitute subject to regulation State of Colorado.

These two designations control the power of sheep farmers and meat processors to get their products to consumers.

The Federal law on meat inspection was passed in 1906 to make sure the protection and quality of meat products for human consumption. It also sets standards for animal welfare on the time of harvest. The laws has led to widespread improvements within the meat industry, including Establishment of the Food Safety and Inspection Service Mid Eighties.

Today, the Food Safety and Inspection Service is the federal agency accountable for implementing inspection and labeling standards in meat processing. This is basically achieved through ongoing on-site inspections by trained inspectors and a sturdy permitting and record-keeping structure.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service grants exemptions from federal inspection to smaller meat processors, however the exempt meat products should not approved for resale – meaning these products can’t be purchased on the local food market, farmers market or downtown restaurant. Instead, they’re intended to be consumed by the animal's owner.

While this exemption is permissible for a producer with five or ten sheep, it’s untenable for a producer with a whole lot or 1000’s of sheep. For this producer, access to government-controlled meat processing facilities akin to Superior Farms and the market access provided by these facilities is the linchpin of profitability, sustainability and provide chain integrity.

Farm-to-plate just isn’t that easy

If the Superior Farms facility closes, it’ll be difficult for Americans to search out Colorado lamb at their local food market or on the menu of their favorite restaurant.

This even applies to cities on the east and west coasts.

The variety of sheep farmers within the United States has steadily declined over the past 4 a long time because of Consumer trends, increasing production costs and difficult environmental conditions akin to drought. As sheep and lamb supplies decline, U.S. restaurants and retailers have needed to look elsewhere to fulfill their customers' low but relatively stable demand for lamb products.

On the opposite side of the world, Australia and New Zealand have found markets for his or her lamb amongst U.S. consumers. Their competitiveness in lamb production has made them a desirable trading partner for the United States – and far of the lamb consumed within the United States is imported from these two countries. Our study suggests an extra decline in lamb meat production within the United States will increase U.S. dependence on imported lamb from Australia and New Zealand.

Meat production is a worldwide enterprise

The meat industry is global – and the success of the U.S. meat industry is closely tied to its relationships with other meat-eating countries.

Lamb meat is offal and other less commonly consumed lamb products produced on the Denver Superior Farms facility are sometimes exported to countries akin to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.

Maintaining these trade relationships is a fragile balance with significant financial implications.

This export market increases the common value of U.S. sheep and is critical to the profitability of sheep producers. A decline in exports to other countries and a decline in profitability for U.S. farmers will likely result in a rise in lamb imports from Australia and New Zealand to fulfill U.S. demand.

The balance between the worth of the export market and imports from other countries strengthens the profitability of livestock and meat producers around the globe.

Although Americans often view the food system and meat supply chain within the context of their local markets, it’s a worldwide industry with extremely complex and interconnected relationships. Changes in a single a part of the provision chain can have a noticeable and, in some cases, irreversible impact on other components of the provision chain.

Denver voters won't just determine their city and the local food supply chain. Their decision will impact the national and global lamb industry.