The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec, André Lamontagne, gives his approval to a pilot project for the slaughter of chickens on the farm, which comes into effect on April 27 and will be spread over four years.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
In the fall of 2020, observation and analysis sessions made it possible to assess the conditions for slaughtering chickens directly on the farm. No marketing of meat was possible in this context. The meat was reserved for personal consumption. But this time, the project will allow small farmers to sell their whole chickens on site or in public markets.
Artisans holding a food preparation license will even be able to transform their chickens into ready meals, which, according to the opinion of farmer activist and author Dominic Lamontagne, would be the best way to make a small farm of 300 chickens profitable, many maximum that it is allowed to have per year, excluding quota.
Remember that before all that, small farmers who wanted to sell their chickens in Quebec had to send their birds to a provincial slaughterhouse. These are very few today and accustomed to high volumes. They are therefore not adapted to the reality of small-scale agriculture. The Petit Abattoir, in Granby, should see the light of day in 2022, remedying a glaring lack, also experienced by breeders of other poultry, such as geese and ducks.
Local products that stay on site
For Dominic Lamontagne, this is a great step forward for small Quebec chicken farmers and also for processors, such as catering establishments in the countryside, which are increasingly numerous. They could now serve their own chicken, slaughtered on the spot rather than hundreds of kilometers away.
It will obviously be necessary to set up a proper slaughterhouse, which can be done for around $5,000 to $10,000, assures the author of the books. The impossible farm and The artisan farmer.
Mechanisms for verifying the hygiene and sanitation of facilities and operations are obviously provided for. “The term ‘on-farm chicken slaughterhouse’ means mobile or fixed and temporary or permanent installations”, reads the ministerial decree.
” Slowly but surely “
The first chickens could be slaughtered from the fall of 2022. Because who says pilot project says registration. Interested growers will need to complete an online application upon entry into force on April 27. The Department will analyze requests in the spring of 2022 so that producers can quickly adapt their facilities and purchase the necessary equipment.
This is where Dominic Lamontagne, who plans to upgrade his own felling equipment, advocates caution and patience. “One thing is certain on our side: we will not move this summer, we will take the time to do things well, prepare the ground well, and I hope that this will be the feeling that inhabits all those who will have the taste for to try. The watchword here is slowly but surely, the pilot project must be crowned with success to allow entrepreneurial agriculture to regain its acclaim and allow us to rebuild our land. »