July 10, 2020, US Virgin Islands – The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDA) is inviting livestock farmers to attend a meeting on Friday, July 17th, 2020 from to 6 to 7 p.m. at the St. Croix Abattoir located at #1 Estate Lower Love. The purpose of the meeting is to inform farmers about new procedures at the abattoir including compliance with USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) standards, scheduling & operational procedures, humane animal transport, farmer’s form completion, payment for services, and processed meat pickup procedures. VIDA’s Veterinary Services division will also provide an update on livestock services and support available to farmers.
To mitigate COVID-19 concern, social distancing will be instituted, and all attendees are required to wear face masks.
VIDA’s Division of Abattoir Services is a red meat production establishment that receives cattle, sheep, goats and pigs for slaughtering. These carcasses as well as by-products are processed for general public consumption and sold to retail and wholesale outlets, in compliance with USDA FSIS guidelines. Carcasses are shipped by refrigerated truck or insulated container as appropriate.
Of note, the St. Thomas Abattoir is also finalizing its facility repair and will undergo a separate review of USDA FSIS compliance analysis and an update to documentation immediately upon the opening of the St. Croix Abattoir, to expedite reopening.
We here at VIDA would like to thank the public for their patience while we made the necessary repair and updates to better serve our community and increase our local food security.
For more information on the July 17th, Abattoir Facility Use Meeting contact VIDA on St. Croix at (340) 778-0997 or visit our website at http://doa.vi.gov.
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