News

Summer is almost done and we have a busy fall season ahead. Many thanks to all our regular staff and those who have stepped in to help us keep up with the demand. 

Some important booking information:

• Poultry: Now taking bookings for November & December. 
• Red Meat: Now taking bookings for lambs & pigs in November and December. 
• Please let us know in advance if you won’t be bringing as many birds as you booked. We usually have people on the wait list but cannot fill the spots if it’s last minute.  
• Some of you have wondered why we don’t just add more birds or animals on days of high demand.  Time is the limiting factor- the inspectors can not stay beyond their allotted hours. 
• If you want an earlier date and don’t see any availability, send in the request anyway and you will be placed on a wait list in the event of cancellation. There is sometimes an opportunity to add another processing day if we can get staff & inspectors.  

Composter at Burgoyne Valley Community Farm

The big news this month is that the Abattoir has signed an agreement with the Salt Spring Farmland Trust to rent land at the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm to install an in-vessel composter for processing abattoir waste.  We hope to have it set up by the end of September. We are also working with the Community Energy Society with the intention of using solar as the power source. Some funding is provided by the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation and there are other funding applications pending but matching funds are still needed. Can you help? All contributions welcome from $20 to $1000 or more! We are also looking for a second-hand tractor with bucket – in working condition. Let us know if you can help in any way. Contact: annemacey@shaw.ca

Future Planning

Are you already thinking about your plans for next year? Has the drought made you rethink how many animals you are keeping over winter? Was the demand for your birds higher or lower than expected? Maybe you were frustrated because there was no booking space when you wanted it?  The last couple of years have seen lots of you changing your plans whether it’s the number of batches of birds raised or the number of lambs being marketed on island versus sold at auction.  We have thrown out our business plan a few times now! If you know you are planning to do more, or less, in 2022 – please give us a heads up to help us plan.  We hope you’ll participate in a survey we’ll send out later in the year. In the meantime feedback is always welcome.  Send us an email at ssiabattoir@gmail.com 

The 2021 season is well on the way.  So far, we have been working steadily on Lamb, Pigs and Beef and the poultry season started this month.

Some important booking information:

• Poultry: There is some room for poultry on June 1st but otherwise days are full until August.   There is a potential for extra poultry days if anyone has a large booking or we have enough demand.   Otherwise, Mariah will be keeping a waitlist for June & July dates so let her know if you are raising birds that you haven’t yet booked.
• If you are bringing in less birds than you booked please tell Mariah well in advance so the the space can be filled. 
• We are offering vacuum packing for poultry from June 8 for a small additional charge. Exact amount is still to be determined but likely 10 or 15 cents on the processing fee.  Please let Mariah know if you wish to use this service.
• Red Meat: Currently there are few bookings in June. Unless we hear from farmers very soon there will only be one red meat slaughter day Thursday June 17.   From July 8 onwards there will be weekly red meat slaughter on Thursdays until December 9.  However, we will be limiting the bookings to 15 lambs a week (instead of 25-30) until new staff get up to speed.  And we are currently pausing any new beef bookings (again until the new staff are ready).

Thank you Sequoia!

The Abattoir is Hiring

We are still looking for new members for the red meat team this season for kill days and for cut & wrap.   If you know of anyone who has the skills, please tell them to contact us by email: ssiabattoir@gmail.com 

Canada Summer Jobs Program

Do you know anyone who wants a summer job? Under the Canada Summer Jobs Program the Salt Spring Abattoir is hiring a young person (15-30) for 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday) at $16.50/hr from the end of June and into September. Work includes assisting with poultry processing, cut & wrap, facility maintenance and other tasks under direction of our regular staff. 

Waste Management

Please note any inedible waste not picked up on a slaughter day will be disposed of by the abattoir and the fee added to your invoice.  If you take the abattoirs containers, please return them rinsed within 24hrs. 

AGM 2021

On April 21^st, 2021, the Annual General Meeting was held via Zoom – only 12 attendees were present.   The 2020 season was reviewed as well as challenges that we faced and are still currently facing.  The following people were elected to the 2021 Board of Directors:

• Lisa Adams
• Fraser Baldwin (Secretary)
• Chris Clark (Treasurer)
• Mark Hughes
• Mariah Hutchinson (non-voting staff rep.)
• Mike Lane (Vice President)
• Anne Macey (President)
• Danielle Osieck
• Margaret Thomson 

Special thanks were extended to long time volunteers – David Astill for ensuring monthly water samples are submitted and to Caroline Hickman who counts up the receipts in our box at Country Grocer every month. Since 2012 a total of $20,252 has been donated by Country Grocer via this program! Thank you all for supporting our community abattoir.   

The Salt Spring Abattoir will open for the 2021 season the week of March 15 for red meat and the beginning of May for poultry.  Its going to be an interesting year! 

Some important key dates:

• 1st available date for lambs:  March 25
• 1st available date for poultry:  May 18.  
• June/July poultry days for 2021 are already filling up.  

To producers of beef and pigs – please advise the time of year you will want a booking and we will add potential dates to the calendar. Don’t forget it’s a requirement for all lambs, beef animals and pigs to have official tags.   

Covid Protocols

Unfortunately, the pandemic is still with us.  When dropping off livestock or picking up meat please keep your distance and wear a mask.  

New Vacuum Sealer

An enormous thank you to Anna J Pugh Law Corporation and an anonymous donor for providing us the funds to purchase a new Vacuum Sealer.  Pricing information for Vac packing poultry cuts will be posted on the website. We will order bags sized for other applications if there is interest- let us know.  

The Abattoir is Hiring

We are looking for new members for the red meat team   this season for kill days and for cut & wrap.   If you know of anyone who has the skills or who might be interested in learning new skills, please tell them to contact us by email: ssiabattoir@gmail.com 

Pricing Updates

Please be aware of the new pricing for 2021, details are now posted on the Abattoir website (https://saltspringabattoir.ca/prices/) Please note that there is no longer a 2% covid surcharge.  

Country Grocer Receipts

One long standing method the Abattoir has received financial support is by the Country Grocer Receipts program.   It is a simple as dropping off your receipt in bin #127.  Unfortunately, due to COVID and the way Country Grocer’s exit is now set up many people have forgotten about this option.  So next time you are in Country Grocer, don’t forget to do a quick detour left to drop off your receipt before heading out the door.

Membership Dues

Unfortunately, with last years zoom AGM many members forgot to pay their $20 member ship fees. This year we are encouraging all users to take out a membership in the Abattoir Society to show your support for this community asset.  We have a small group of dedicated volunteers working to keep the abattoir going and to respond to the needs of your farm business as well as committed staff who come back year after year because they also believe in this valuable service for the farming community on SSI.  We will be adding the membership fee of $20 to your first invoice but of course, it’s up to you if you choose not to join.

Winter Maintenance Update

Over January and February, thanks to the hard work of Murray and Sequoia, we were able to complete the annual maintenance tasks including replacing the floor in the evisceration trailer. .

And the BIG NEWS  

If you haven’t heard the good news, your abattoir, has been awarded a Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) grant of $222,525 for an expansion to increase processing capacity to support famers and meet demand for local meat. Thanks to Anne Macey for her hard work and dedication in putting together the successful application.

The one slaughter date is early January is now full.  The abattoir will open again for lambs, cattle and pigs  in March 2021 following the annual winter break.

Poultry processing starts up again in May. Don’t forget its important to book early to get the dates you want.  

The 2020 season with all its challenges will soon be done. Thank you everyone for your business and to all our staff who have have worked hard to accommodate the additional demand this year. 

Some important key dates:

• All poultry days for 2020 are now full.  
• The abattoir will be closed from mid January to the beginning of March.

Poultry

Its been a busy year for poultry with 1400 more birds processed than in 2019. All remaining poultry days are now full. Poultry processing will open up again in May 2021.  We are already getting bookings for 2021. Given this year’s challenges with fitting everyone in on the days requested it’s important to BOOK EARLY!  If we know what you are planning, we can make sure enough slaughter days are scheduled with the inspectors.    

2021 Poultry processing fees will be posted on the website in April; those will be the prices charged regardless of when you booked.  

Turkeys – Please note our poultry scale cannot weigh more than 30lbs. Any bird that dresses more than 30lbs will be considered “overweight” and charged an additional $10/bird.

Some people have not picked up their crates/bird carriers. Please do so as soon as possible. We will dispose of anything left at the abattoir after Dec 18. 

Red Meat

Cutting instructions  

Please be aware that completed cut and wrap instruction sheets are required for each animal being cut. These should be provided to staff when the animal is dropped off at the abattoir or at the latest the day following.  This will allow time for clarifications, help ensure no mistakes are made, and not hold up the workflow because staff do not have all the information they need.  In the interests of getting everyone’s livestock processed in the time available, staff have been instructed not to speak directly with your customers and to make the “Butcher Preferred Cut” if instructions are not clear when cutting starts for the day. 

Links to the sheets can be found on the Prices page (https://saltspringabattoir.ca/prices/)

January Bookings

If there are animals that still need processing, we will open for red meet bookings the first week in January weather permitting. Please let us know asap if you still have animals to book in. Our next openings will be in March. Please keep an eye on the online calendar for exact dates.

Pricing for Pig Slaughter only

If it is only slaughter service that is booked and the carcass is not cut, the slaughter cost will be $100.

PigTRACE

It now a requirement for pigs to have official ear tags or other means of ID when they arrive at the abattoir.  The purpose is to be able to trace and contain outbreaks of disease (similar to COVID contact tracing). It applies to small scale meat production as well as large pig barns.

This is what you need to know if you raise pigs:

• You must be registered with PigTRACE
• Farms must have a Premises Identification Number (PID) before registering for PigTrace. If you don’t already have one contact a Premises ID Program Representative at the BC Ministry of Agriculture by phone (1-888-221- 7141) or email (BCPID@gov.bc.ca), or visit their website at: www.gov.bc.ca/premisesidprogram
• More information about PigTRACE can be found here: https://www.cpc-ccp.com/pigtrace-for-small-scale-pig-producers
• Pigs going to slaughter must have either a:
  • 5-digit herd mark number applied to the pig’s shoulder or back using commercial tattooing equipment OR non-toxic livestock spray paint and homemade stencil, or
  • 5-digit PigTRACE Herd Mark ear tag, or
  • 15-digit PigTRACE Individual ID ear tag (large or small tag)
  • The 15-digit PigTRACE Individual ID ear tag must be used if sows or boars move from one farm to another farm
• Ear tags can be purchased by calling 1-866 -300-1835

 Check out this new resource for small scale pork producers: http://www.bcpork.ca/small-lot-pork-producers/manual/

Salt Spring Meats Website

Please be aware that producers are encouraged to list on the salt spring meats website.   This will not only hopefully help with your sales, but it will also help our staff respond to enquiries from people for products.

Latest news:

The Abattoir Society is working with the SSI Farmland Trust and SSI Community services with the intention of establishing a composting operation at the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm capable of handling abattoir waste. More announcements to come.

Reminders:

COVID-19

With the increased cases in BC, the guidelines and extra safety precautions are still very important to follow and the Abattoir will continue to operate following these rules. If you are sick, please arrange for someone else to bring (and pickup) your animals or birds to the abattoir.

Waste Management

If you require the use of the abattoir’s waste management containers, please pick them up by noon the following day at the latest and return them rinsed within 24hrs.

We are over halfway through our 2020 season and things are in full swing. 

Some important key dates:

• Poultry Bookings – There is still some room on Sept 1st but otherwise days are full to the end of October.  Now taking bookings for Nov 10, Nov 24 and for turkeys on December 18.
• Red Meat Bookings – All days are full in l Aug, Sept and October and filling up fast in November.  Book now if you want to bring animals in before Christmas. Don’t wait until the last minute. ..

Latest news:

New Cutting Instructions

We have new cutting instruction sheets which we would like you to use. Please make sure the completed form/s are provided to Marilou when you bring in your animals. You will see there have been some adjustments to pricing to reflect the additional time needed for carcass deboning and grinding. 

• Cutting-Instructions-for-Beef.pdf
• Cutting-Instructions-for-Pork.pdf
• Cutting-Instructions-for-Lamb-Sheep-Goats.pdf

PigTRACE

It now a requirement for pigs to have official ear tags or other means of ID when they arrive at the abattoir.  The purpose is to be able to trace and contain outbreaks of disease (similar to COVID contact tracing). It applies to small scale meat production as well as large pig barns.

This is what you need to know if you raise pigs:

• You must be registered with PigTRACE
• Farms must have a Premises Identification Number (PID) before registering for PigTrace. If you don’t already have one contact a Premises ID Program Representative at the BC Ministry of Agriculture by phone (1-888-221- 7141) or email (BCPID@gov.bc.ca), or visit their website at: www.gov.bc.ca/premisesidprogram
• More information about PigTRACE can be found here: https://www.cpc-ccp.com/pigtrace-for-small-scale-pig-producers
• Pigs going to slaughter must have either a:
  • 5-digit herd mark number applied to the pig’s shoulder or back using commercial tattooing equipment OR non-toxic livestock spray paint and homemade stencil, or
  • 5-digit PigTRACE Herd Mark ear tag, or
  • 15-digit PigTRACE Individual ID ear tag (large or small tag)
  • The 15-digit PigTRACE Individual ID ear tag must be used if sows or boars move from one farm to another farm
• Ear tags can be purchased by calling 1-866 -300-1835

 Check out this new resource for small scale pork producers: http://www.bcpork.ca/small-lot-pork-producers/manual/

The Abattoir is Hiring!  If you know if anyone who might be interested, please send them our way. See below for more details.   

BOOKINGS

• POULTRY – All poultry dates are fully booked until mid August.  We have added extra days but still not enough to accommodate everyone’s needs. Please see below for more information. 
• RED MEAT – There will be no red meat slaughter Thursday June 25 or Thursday July 9, otherwise still lots of capacity going forward.

Please look at the on-line calendar and book well in advance to ensure you get the dates you want.

Latest news:

1.      2020 Annual General Meeting

The 2020 AGM happened May 26^th. It was held remotely by ZOOM.  The 2020/21 board members and officers were elected as follows:

• Lisa Adams
• Fraser Baldwin (Secretary)
• Rollie Cook
• Mark Hughes
• Mike Lane (Vice President)
• Anne Macey (President)
• Danielle Osieck
• Chris Clark (Treasurer)
• Mariah Hutchinson: Non-voting staff rep; replaces Sequoia Lesosky.
• Margaret Thomson: Non-voting SSIAA liaison; replaces Tony Beck

Thanks to all who agreed to be on the board for another year and to those departing- Sequoia, Tony and Serena Hayes (our treasurer for the last 2 years).

2.      Cutting instructions

Please ensure cutting instructions for pigs & lambs are sent in with your booking or by email before dropping off animals and at the latest in writing on the day of drop off.  We need the information to determine how much staff time is needed the following week (deboning & grinding takes a lot more time than a standard cut). Andrew our meat cutter comes from Saturna and its problematic to make last minute changes.   

3.      Summer Job Placement

Our application has been approved to hire a young person between 15-30 years of age under the Canada Summer Jobs Program.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in working at the abattoir, 30 hours a week (Tuesday to Friday) at $16/hr, please tell them to email us for more information:  ssiabattoir@gmail.com.

If we do not fill this position in the near future, we will need additional help on Tuesday poultry days and occasionally on Wednesday mornings. 

4.      Poultry Bookings

We are aware that unfortunately not everyone has been able to book their ideal dates or even the latest dates they wanted for their poultry bookings.  Please let Mariah know a week or more ahead if you are bringing in less birds than you booked so we can accommodate more people for the dates they want.  Email ssiabattoir@gmail.com

As the weather warms up remember that Cornish X birds are easily distressed with heat exhaustion as they get nearer slaughter weight.  Make sure they have water readily available and consider rationing feed to slow growth if you are having to keep them longer than intended.

5.      Pricing

Given the lack of fundraising opportunities this year (no fall fair burger sales) and increases in costs of supplies, we will be introducing a small COVID surcharge in the near future.  There is a lot of interest in local meat right now and increases in the price of meat at the store so hopefully this will not impact your sales. Thank you for your understanding.

6.      Looking for somewhere to live

One of our staff needs a place to live. If you have an unoccupied small cabin or somewhere to park a camper van on your property, please contact the abattoir- ssiabattoir@gmail.com

Reminders:

COVID-19

The Abattoir is an essential service and will continue to operate. We will give as much notice as possible if bookings must be changed or cancelled as a result of staff shortages or lack of availability of meat inspectors.   And if you are sick, please arrange for someone else to bring (and pickup) your animals or birds to the abattoir. In case of staff shortages, if you know of anyone, preferably with experience, who would be willing to work the occasional poultry day or to assist with cut & wrap, please contact:  ssiabattoir@gmail.com

Waste Management

If you require the use of the abattoir’s waste management containers, please pick them up by noon the following day at the latest and return them rinsed within 24hrs.

Country Grocer Lambs

Sequoia is coordinating lamb sales to Country Grocer.  Please contact him directly (sequoia.lesosky@gmail.com or 250 538 7742) if you would like to sell your lambs through him to Country Grocer.

Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs Program, the Salt Spring Abattoir has an opening for a young person 15-30 years of age to assist in all areas of operations. 

Duties will vary from day to day and may include meat wrapping, poultry processing, and facility maintenance, as well as administrative tasks. No experience necessary, training will be provided.   The position is for 4 days a week (Tuesday to Friday) for an 8 week period from mid June to August with options for extending into the Fall on a part time basis. Please send letter and/or resume to ssiabattoir@gmail.com

The 2020 poultry season starts this week! The plucker has had a major refit thanks to Darryl Windsor & Nicholas Courtier and we are ready to go.

Some important key dates:

• Limited availability for Lamb bookings – May 27^th & June 4^th-  Lots of space after that.
• Limited availability for Poultry Bookings – May 28^th , July 14 & July 28.
• 2020 Annual General Meeting May 26^th

Please look at the on-line calendar and book well in advance to ensure you get the dates you want.

Latest news:

2020 Annual General Meeting

The 2020 AGM is scheduled for May 26^th. It will be held remotely by ZOOM.   All users and supporters of the abattoir are welcome to attend – member or not. Please RSVP to annemacey@shaw.ca if you would like to attend. An agenda package and the link to connect will be sent closer to the date.  Hear how we’ve responded to the suggestions that came out of the producer meeting in February and how operations have been impacted by COVID 19.  One way to show your support is to become a member of the Society. Membership is $20 (benefits now included!).

Members Listing Page

Over the last month we have been receiving numerous calls at the abattoir asking where people can purchase local meat.   To that end, starting this month, we are going to be including a membership page on the abattoir website listing all members, contact information and animal types raised.

Other ways to reach potential new customers are:

• the Salt Spring Meats website site (www.saltspringmeats.com) is actively being promoted again. If your farm is listed there remember to keep your listing current.
• The Farmers Institute also has a directory open to all producers ( http://ssifi.org/farm-directory)

Processing Date Changes

Starting June 1^st, the processing dates will change to Tuesdays for poultry and Thursday for red meat.   This change will not only support the meat inspectors schedule but will also allow us to more easily manage poultry bookings during the busy period before thanksgiving and Christmas.

Summer Job Placement

 Although we don’t yet have confirmation that our application has been approved we are hoping to hire a young person between 15-30 years of age under the Canada Summer Jobs Program.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in working at the abattoir, please tell them to email us for more information:  ssiabattoir@gmail.com

Reminders:

COVID-19

The Abattoir is an essential service and will continue to operate. We will give as much notice as possible if bookings must be changed or cancelled as a result of staff shortages or lack of availability of meat inspectors.   And if you are sick, please arrange for someone else to bring (and pickup) your animals or birds to the abattoir.

In case of staff shortages, if you know of anyone, preferably with experience, who would be willing to work the occasional poultry day or to assist with cut & wrap, please contact:  ssiabattoir@gmail.com

Waste Management

If you require the use of the abattoir’s waste management containers, please pick them up by noon the following day at the latest and return them rinsed within 24hrs.

Poultry Cut and Wrap Processing Options

Producers that are interested in having their birds broken down please contact the poultry booking coordinator at ssiabattoir@gmail.com.  

Country Grocer Lambs

Sequoia is coordinating lamb sales to Country Grocer.  Please contact him directly (sequoia.lesosky@gmail.com or 250 538 7742) if you would like to sell your lambs through him to Country Grocer.

You are invited to the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the Salt Spring Abattoir.

Tuesday May 26th
via Video conference (details to follow).

We’ve started our 8th season processing beef and pork as well as sheep and lambs.

Find out how we’ve responded to the suggestions that came out of the producer meeting in February and how operations have been impacted by COVID 19.  

Even if you have other plans for the evening of May 26th please consider showing your support by joining the Abattoir Society for $20/year (or a larger donation). These funds help keep us afloat in the early part of the season when cash flow is our biggest challenge.

And new this year, our website will be updated to provide member contact information for those wishing to advertise the meat products available from them.   

Membership or a donation can be added to your next invoice for processing, or paid by electronic transfer to ssiabattoirpay@gmail.com or by cheque made out to the Salt Spring Abattoir Society and mailed to:

Salt Spring Abattoir Society
1447b Fulford Ganges Road
Salt Spring Island
V8K 2B2

Other ways to support your local abattoir:
Volunteer time/expertise when repairs or upgrades are needed
Use the abattoir box at Country Grocer (Box 27)

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday May 26th.