Westport Land Purchased For Slaughterhouse

The Southeastern Massachusetts Livestock Association announced it has purchased 10 acres on Route 6 for a new slaughterhouse.

According to Southcoast Today, livestock farmers in the area have had to travel as far as Eastern New York and Western Massachusetts to produce their beef, pork, and lamb. Now, SEMALA hopes to construct a "state-of-the-art" 9,500 square-foot livestock processing facility beginning this spring.

On Friday, SEMALA President Andrew Burnes said group is trying to secure all the necessary finances for construction in the next 60 to 90 days. "This is a major step for the agricultural community and we've had broad support since we started planning this a year or two ago," Burnes said.

The nonprofit group, founded in 2014, also aims to raise the level of livestock farming best practices, with educational programming using the Bristol County Agricultural High School.

Additional Reporting by Kiah Heron