Dept. of Agriculture Unveils Plans for St. Thomas and St. Croix Abattoirs Amid Prolonged Closures Impacting Livestock Farmers

Commissioner Petersen outlines immediate and long-term strategies to address maintenance issues and improve facilities, including the introduction of a mobile abattoir unit and a $1.2 million rehabilitation project

For the second year in a row, the territory’s underfunded and deteriorating abattoirs occupied the concerns of the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance during the Department of Agriculture’s budget proposal defense.

Speaking to lawmakers on Thursday, Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen said, “one of our greatest challenges continues to be our aged abattoir facility on St Croix.” Since February 2020, there have been 3 documented closures of the facility. First, the facility was closed due to citations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August of the same year. In 2022, renowned Crucian farmer Dale Browne of Sejah Farm accused the V.I. Department of Agriculture of failing farmers, as the abattoir was once again closed. At the end of April this year, the abattoir was abruptly shuttered following a routine inspection that revealed significant maintenance issues. On July 29th, VIDA issued a notice of the facility’s impending reopening.