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NEWBERRY, Fla. (WCJB) - Another opportunity is on the calendar for Alachua County residents to weigh in on the meat processing facility that could come to Newberry.
“It’s a way of making a living,” said lifelong cattle rancher, Kevin Coleman.
Raising cattle is a huge part of Coleman’s life, but without a meat processing facility nearby it hasn’t been easy.
“About an hour north of here is about the closest place you can take it to to have it processed,” he said.
Alachua County officials said the problem is partially due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic.
RELATED STORY: Meat processing facility could come to Newberry, pending state funding
“Right now our small ranchers are experiencing six months to one year bottlenecks with processing, so when they’re calling the small custom facilities they can’t get an appointment,” said Anna Prizzia, Alachua County Commission Chair.
That’s why county and city officials are hoping to build a 10,000 square-foot meat processing facility off of SW 266th St. in Newberry.
“All the little small towns used to have them and you know it’s gone away,” said Coleman. “It would be something you raised yourself and you knew how it was taken care of and how it was fed, whether it was grass-fed or grain-fed, you would know the animal that you’re eating.”
Despite Coleman’s excitement for the plant, some people feel the meat industry is a huge player in climate change and that a facility like this would only make things worse.
“I think some people are concerned about the idea of eating meat in general and I get that,” said Prizzia. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons I think this facility is so important. Our current industrial meat system and the way in which we’re raising meat and processing meat in our country is very unsustainable.”
County commissioners are planning to discuss this again at a special meeting on April 4th.
Residents can take part in public comment.
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February 21, 2023 at 07:01AM
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Newberry cattleman weighs in on potential meat processing facility, as county commissioners schedule special meeting - WCJB
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