Say No to New Slaughterhouse On Long Island!

Say No to New Slaughterhouse On Long Island!

The Issue

Say No to New Slaughterhouse On Long Island!

Suffolk County is considering a plan to build a new, large slaughterhouse in Yaphank, NY.

In LI Newsday’s Jan 27th article “Suffolk Slaughterhouse Drive”, it is noted that Suffolk officials are trying to “boost” the livestock industry by seeking an operator for a county-owned slaughterhouse in Yaphank. This proposal makes no sense for the millions of us who live on an island with delicate waters to the north and south, where the water we drink sits below our soil, and where we already have a major challenge with wastes that come from animals -- human animals. We used to have a duck farming industry on LI that wreaked havoc on our valuable waters. The livestock industry is truly among the most water intensive and the most damaging industries to waterways and groundwater in this country. Waste is something we don't need more of on LI.

And regardless of how they're raised (grassfed, etc.), livestock are a major contributor to climate change, with the global livestock industry responsible for more climate change emissions than all forms of transportation combined. A major UN FAO report stated that “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." They go on to say that this industry is one of the major causes of the world's most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

There are few ideas that are worse than encouraging a livestock industry on Long Island.

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The Issue

Say No to New Slaughterhouse On Long Island!

Suffolk County is considering a plan to build a new, large slaughterhouse in Yaphank, NY.

In LI Newsday’s Jan 27th article “Suffolk Slaughterhouse Drive”, it is noted that Suffolk officials are trying to “boost” the livestock industry by seeking an operator for a county-owned slaughterhouse in Yaphank. This proposal makes no sense for the millions of us who live on an island with delicate waters to the north and south, where the water we drink sits below our soil, and where we already have a major challenge with wastes that come from animals -- human animals. We used to have a duck farming industry on LI that wreaked havoc on our valuable waters. The livestock industry is truly among the most water intensive and the most damaging industries to waterways and groundwater in this country. Waste is something we don't need more of on LI.

And regardless of how they're raised (grassfed, etc.), livestock are a major contributor to climate change, with the global livestock industry responsible for more climate change emissions than all forms of transportation combined. A major UN FAO report stated that “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." They go on to say that this industry is one of the major causes of the world's most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

There are few ideas that are worse than encouraging a livestock industry on Long Island.

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HealthyPlanetPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

August Ruckdeschel
August Ruckdeschel
Farmlands Administrator, Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning
Responded
“Thank you for reaching out to the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning in regards to the County’s Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) associated with the meat processing facility located at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank. We would like to take this opportunity to correct some misperceptions about the status and history of this facility as well as some of the intended benefits associated with this project. First off, the online petition is fundamentally misinformed beginning with its title, “Say No to New Slaughterhouse on Long Island.” There is no proposal to build any new facility. The meat processing facility has been operating since the late 1960’s and has been administered by Cornell Cooperative Extension since 1974. Suffolk County taxpayers have paid approximately $100,000 to operate the facility annually. It has been used to process meat from animals from the County farm for use in the Suffolk County Jail. Through the RFEI process, Suffolk County is doing its due diligence to determine if there is an opportunity to better re-purpose this existing asset, eliminate the burden on taxpayers and form a partnership with Suffolk County’s vital agricultural community. As reported in the local media, one potential use is to open the facility to local Suffolk County livestock farmers. We believe this re-purposing could have a significant and substantial positive economic and environmental benefit. Cattle, hogs, sheep, bison, sheep, goats, chickens and ducks are already raised in Suffolk County. Unfortunately, however, because this local processing facility was not made available to the public, that has forced animals to be transported hundreds of miles to the nearest publicly available facility in order to be processed for sale and consumption. As we are well aware, these lengthy trips stress the animals greatly. They also entail high costs associated with gasoline usage and air pollution associated with carbon emissions. As such, reducing transportation distances would actually lead to net increases in animal welfare and a reduction in transportation-created air pollutants. In pointing to the limited economic potential of this RFEI, some critics have noted that Suffolk County does not have the available land needed to support large-scale industrial livestock farming. We believe this to be true. However, since large-scale livestock farming is not possible in Suffolk County, we need not fear the excessive water pollution, methane production, or atmospheric odors created by those much larger operations. Suffolk County is the third largest agricultural County in New York State. Its farming industry is strengthened by the diversity of its agricultural offerings, the value-added products it creates, and the agricultural tourism it generates. Promoting the continued diversification of the industry will only fortify the County’s agricultural strength and resiliency. Best management practices have repeatedly demonstrated the values of crop rotation on farm operations to enhance soil health. Making this local meat processing facility available to the public will encourage farmers to introduce livestock into rotational grazing patterns that would fortify local soils and could even bring traditionally non-productive but preserved agricultural lands back into commercial production. Suffolk County supports our agricultural community because of their connection to both our heritage and our future. The agricultural community preserves access to local, healthy foods, it fosters environmental stewardship, and it contributes to Suffolk County quality of life. Through this RFEI, we will determine if it is possible to re-purpose an existing facility in order to strengthen these ties or whether there is not a project worth pursuing. Once again, we thank you for reaching out and we will continue to keep you informed on this issue which is important to Suffolk County residents. Sincerely, August Ruckdeschel Farmlands Administrator ”

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Petition created on February 26, 2016