Agriculture Department scheduled August 14, 2020 ceremony for reopening of St. Croix abattoir

The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture said it would hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020, for the reopening of the St. Croix abattoir after a voluntary closure and renovation.

The department said the facility had undergone repairs, machinery work, staff training and updates to operating procedures. It said the abattoir resumed operations with a soft opening on Monday, August 10, 2020, to test the slaughtering process and facility, and was set to begin full operations on Monday, August 17, 2020.

According to the department, the St. Croix abattoir processes cattle, sheep, goats and pigs for slaughter. The department said Virgin Islands law requires animals whose meat will be offered for sale in public places to be slaughtered at government-controlled slaughterhouses subject to inspection and approval by the Health commissioner.

The department also said animals brought to the abattoir and meat produced there are inspected by a U.S. Department of Agriculture official and stamped as safe for public consumption.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/department-of-agriculture-to-hold-ceremony-for-reopening-of-the-st-croix-abattoir/