U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – The VI Department of Agriculture (VIDA) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020, to celebrate the grand reopening of the St. Croix Abattoir, which has been completely renovated to better serve the community.
The media is invited to attend.
“Finally, after months of a voluntary closure and a total overhaul, the St. Croix Abattoir is ready to reopen,” said Agriculture Commissioner Positive Nelson. “The total update of the facility and its operational procedures complies with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service standards and allows for a more uniform program that assures safer meat is provided to the community at large.”
The initiative was chaired by Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Diana Collingwood and included extensive training for staff such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points certification, revisions and development of new Sanitation Operation Procedures and Good Manufacturing Practices, step-by-step flow charts and operational plans, and extensive repairs to the facility and dilapidated machinery.
“This critically needed overhaul was completed to establish a logical, scientific system to identify and control biological, chemical, and physical hazards that can occur during meat processing,” Commissioner Nelson said.
The St. Croix Abattoir operations restated with a soft opening on Monday to test the slaughtering process and facility. The Abattoir will officially commence full operations on Monday, August 17, 2020, for the livestock community.
The St. Croix abattoir is a red meat production establishment that receives cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs for slaughter. Operations at the Abattoir are regulated by laws of the Virgin Islands. Title 19 requires that all animals whose meat will be offered for sale in public places be slaughtered at government-controlled slaughterhouses which are subject to inspection and approval by the Commissioner of Health.
In addition to the VI Code, the Abattoir Division is also subject to federal laws. All animals brought to, and meat produced at the abattoir is inspected by an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and stamped as safe for public consumption.
For more information call Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Diana Collingwood at 340-778-0997.