The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, UDAF, is allowing private meat processors to slaughter animals for commercial sale.
UDAF commissioner Logan Wilde said allowing a limited number of Utah slaughter establishments to handle animals for commercial sale could alleviate potential meat shortages.
According to Wilde, animal processing backlogs are not nearly as serious in Utah as other parts of the country where many inspected facilities have cut back their hours to limit their employees’ potential exposure to COVID-19. Fewer animals are being processed, which is starting to result in a lack of feed and land for the stockpile of livestock.
A stockpile of animals from farms and ranches are waiting to be slaughtered and processed. In some states animals are being euthanized and not processed for meat.
Meat processed by the custom exempt facilities temporarily under state inspection can only be sold in Utah. However, the meat can be sold to grocery stores, and restaurants.
