Rick Neilson
“We’re going to build an abattoir,” Steve Loshaw announced to spontaneous applause by the two dozen or so members attending the annual meeting of the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. at the Barwick Hall on Thursday night.
“When we first started this four years ago, Geoff Gillon told me that it would be a long hard process but I never realized it would be that long or that hard,” admitted Loshaw, who is president of the RRDRAI.
As first reported in Friday’s Daily Bulletin, it was not a certainty that Loshaw would be making the announcement given the board only received confirmation of funding last Monday (May 25).
Construction is set to begin in late June, to be completed by the end of the year.
The contractor, Coldbox Builders from Vaughan, Ont., will be using local sub-contractors as much as possible.
Loshaw noted having local knowledge of the building will be valuable for maintenance or upgrades.
The plant will be provincially inspected, but could be upgraded to federal standards down the road.
It will operate as a not-for-profit business.
The $2-million, 3,600 sq. ft. “kill and chill” plant, to be located at 26 Byng St. in Emo, will require a manager and two or three part-time workers once it begins slaughtering its anticipated 20 animals per week.
The facility will handle beef, pork, bison, elk, sheep, and goats.
Funding assistance for the project comes from FedNor, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.
The local portion to be raised by the RRDRAI is $360,000.
Loshaw suggested members encourage their neighbours to join, with a membership costing $500.
There currently are 108 members, with about 900 animal commitments (which cost $100 per head to a ceiling of $2,000).
Producers who are members get a discount, and those who have made animal commitments receive an additional discount as well as priority booking.
It is projected to cost $140 to slaughter a beef.
RRDRAI vice-president Trish Neilson noted the funding was contingent on sufficient animal commitment numbers.
“Our funding partners went through those numbers pretty thoroughly,” she stressed.
RRDRAI secretary Bill Darby believes there is a likelihood there will be larger numbers than those committed.
“A lot of producers only bought a small number because they understood that it means you’ve got to bring your animals to the abattoir and they were not sure if they would be able sell at the farm gate, so they only committed to bring two or three animals.
“But they eventually could be bringing more,” Darby suggested.
Loshaw conceded there was some concern about being penalized if producers we unable bring the animals they had committed.
“We are not in the position to penalize them. We need the support,” he stressed.
“We have a positive message tonight and we hope that maybe there is some money out there; that people would like to help reduce that $360,000 so that it is more manageable,” Loshaw added.
“Use the facility when it is up and running. Promote local products,” Loshaw urged. “We’ve gone many years without an abattoir and we have to use it.”
The Rainy River Future Development Corp. will hold the mortgage.
Loshaw praised the dedication and hard work of the board and the patience of the membership.
He also acknowledged the RRFDC and Geoff Gillon, ag rep Gary Sliworsky, Jane Gillon with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, and the townships of Barwick, Emo, and La Vallee for all of their contributions.
Jeannette Cawston, the rural ag co-ordinator, spoke briefly about her efforts to build the appetite for local food while also trying to increase the interest of farmers in catering to the local market.
“We have conducted three surveys that show that 85 percent will buy local,” she noted. “They ask, ‘Where can you get it?’
“I’ve been working with the [Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association] on protocols, as well as marketing and packaging,” Cawston added.
“Our vision is to have ‘Rainy River Raised’ beef in all of the retail stores across the region,” she vowed.
