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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that it was awarding the funding to the Cooperative Development Institute to establish a cooperative halal meat brand and the state’s first USDA-certified, halal-only slaughterhouse in Unity.
The cooperative and slaughterhouse are to be based at Five Pillars Butchery, an existing family-owned business in Unity that does custom halal slaughtering.
“There are currently no halal, USDA certified slaughterhouses in Maine or northern New England,” said Katherine Bessey, CDI program director. “Despite the recent growth of Muslim and other immigrant populations in the region, there are no local sources for these culturally relevant processed meat products. There is a need to develop an equitable local food production system in Maine that provides access to culturally relevant food, such as halal slaughtered meats.”
Five Pillars hopes to break ground on the slaughterhouse in the spring or summer of 2024 and to reach full capacity by 2028.
Once at capacity, the company estimates over $2 million in sales will flow back to producers in the cooperative. These funds will be used to reinvest in farm infrastructure, create more jobs and improve the sustainability efforts of Maine’s agricultural sector.
