Pay a visit to any farmers’ market in Oregon and you could easily assume that local ranchers are doing just fine. You might see your local pig farmer sitting at an attractive booth, interacting with customers and making sales. While it appears to be a rosy picture, Oregon’s direct-to-consumer meat industry is actually dealing with several challenges that could put ranchers and slaughter facilities at risk.
Insufficient Local Slaughter Facilities:
Oregon is home to just nine United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-inspected slaughter facilities.
USDA-inspected establishments generally specialize in processing cattle, pigs, and lambs, although the volume and type of animals being processed varies from business to business. USDA inspection allows growers and processors to sell their meat products to the public.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Willamette Live