If the big meat processing plants get shut down do we have the capacity to use local farmers,

[Botany]

Last edited Sun Apr 19, 2020, 02:39 PM - Edit history (1)

local meat processing plants and butchers to take their place? I know that most big chain stores
no longer have in house butchers but can we just bypass the big plants?

[frazzled]

1. Probably not, which is why

I’m not divulging my source for locally raised meats and poultry.

[Botany]

2. One local grocery still does much of its meat processing in house but I don't ..

... know if they will be able to keep up with the demand and I always looked forward to
the Saturday Morning local farmers market for fresh meat, dairy, and produce but it will
not be opening back up anytime soon.

[keithbvadu2]

3. Our society/culture depends on industrial food.

Our society/culture depends on industrial food.

Fresh does not have the capacity.

[sarisataka]

4. Not really

While there is a small amount of local meat processing, the supply chain is set up to use the processing plants.

Think of it as if the animals were auto parts, the process plants are the assembly factories and the grocery stores represent car dealers. If the factories shut down, it would still be possible to supply the dealerships by sending parts to local repair shops to assemble autos. It would be slower, inefficient and work at a fraction of the lost capacity.

[Solly Mack]

5. In my rural community we have butchers who clean

and process for hunters as well as locally owned livestock.

You can buy eggs and chickens, as well as lamb/sheep/goat, cow, and pig direct from the breeders. Take them to the locally owned butchers and then to your freezer.

No USDA hanging out though the butchers get certified to inspect the meat. They get inspected as a business every year as well. The meat isn't for resale at the butchers. You buy from the breeder and take the animal to the butcher. You pay the butcher to do their thing and then you haul all that meat home.

Not sure if that kind of arrangement would work in larger cities, but we do bypass the big plants by using local breeders and butchers.

I primarily eat plant-based but I am familiar with how it works here. Neighbors, friends sing their praises because they say they save a lot of money buying from breeders and using the local butchers instead of buying at the grocery store.

[Blue_true]

14. That is a nice system.

But the vast majority of people would have no idea how to handle a live food animal, and a lot of their kids would want to make it a pet on first sight. I know they get criticized lots here on DU, but largescale slaughter houses do perform a function that society in general can't. Similar dynamics apply to vegetable, nut and fruit farming, the big operations simply are what feeds 99% of people.

[Girard442]

6. I worked as a temp in a slaughterhouse many years ago.

Slaughtering animals is a fairly skilled job. You just can't slice off the parts of a cow that look tasty.

[Chainfire]

7. The simple answer is no

Local farmers do not have that ability. It would be like asking your local car mechanic if he could build 500 cars this week.

[d_r]

8. No.

[beachbumbob]

9. Highly doubtful once you have a large urban center.

[EarthFirst]

10. No.

I’m fact I would be inclined to believe that they’d hoard that stock for themselves or immediate family or social networks.

The majority of these farmers have been GOP for generations.

Helping their community is only feel good PR and optics.

If it came down to a halt in domestic supply; they’re hoarding this shit for themselves.

[Blue_true]

15. Exactly. nt

[Blue_true]

11. No.

Local farms are a nitch area that simply is not capable of feeding a modern city or big town.

[TeamPooka]

12. Soylent Green is the back up plan

[milestogo]

13. We have the capacity to become vegetarians.

Actually, I think there are ways to buy meat from local farmers, but there won't be near enough to replace whats missing from the grocery stores.

[Blue_true]

17. Even if people become vegetarians or vegans, most of their food comes from

big operations. Yes, a person may be able to buy true organic, relatively local produce in a health food store or co-op, but the amount of food running through those places won't be remotely enough to feed a city or town.

[Celerity]

16. don't worry (if you're in a red state) the Rump Patrol will start having the feds hijack blue state

food trucks, just like they are doing with PPE's.

[totodeinhere]

18. In some respects this would not be altogether a bad thing.

Many environmentalists maintain that we in the USA eat far too much meat and the meat industry is a big contributor to global warming.