EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. Erica Zimmerman and her husband spent months
pasture-raising pigs on their farm here, but when the time came to take them to
slaughter, an overbooked facility canceled their appointment.
With the herd in prime condition, and the couple lacking food and space to keep
them, they frantically called slaughterhouses throughout the state. After
several days they found an opening, but their experience highlights a growing
problem for small farmers here and across the nation: too few slaughterhouses to
meet the growing demand for locally raised meat.
In what could be a major setback for Americas local-food movement, championed
by so-called locavores, independent farmers around the country say they are
forced to make slaughter appointments before animals are born and to drive
hundreds of miles to facilities, adding to their costs and causing stress to
livestock.
Photo Caption: DEMAND AND NO SUPPLY Kevin McCollister raises sheep and pigs on
his farm in East Montpelier, Vt., and has had trouble arranging for slaughter.
Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The New York Times
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