Carrboro, North Carolina amended its Animal Control Ordinance regarding DIY slaughter on properties within town limits. Previously, the word "slaughter" was not mentioned in the Town Code, which planning staff interpreted to mean that it was allowed, although killing animals was prohibited under the animal cruelty statute, and still is. On Tuesday, February 28, the Board of Aldermen voted to formally allow DIY slaughter, as long as it is in "an enclosed area." There is very little regulation for keeping, and no regulation for slaughtering of farmed animals in town.

This is not about food. It's about violence.

Humans have no biological need to consume the flesh and secretions of other animals, therefore, there is no need to allow people to raise and slaughter non-human animals in Carrboro. The idea of someone without training and with no regulation slaughtering animals in their backyards should be considered a crime, not a step towards food security. Nobody wants to live next door to a backyard slaughterhouse.

We urge the Carrboro Board of Aldermen to use this opportunity to expressly prohibit the slaughtering of non-human animals within town limits.