Slaughterhouse 1
I am hearing more and more about the proposed slaughterhouse for our area. The latest is that the local Yokayo Band of Pomos is looking to build it on 150 or so acres they own along Old River Road. The tribe is still seeking federal designation at which point that land would become sovereign tribal land. Anyway I understand that there is interest in the tribe for the slaughterhouse as an economic development project for the tribe. So far I guess there's a lot of support for the slaughterhouse in the Ukiah Valley but Not In My Back Yard. The city of Ukiah also apparently turned the cold shoulder to it on industrial land it still owns.
Meanwhile at least one local woman is gearing up to oppose it. She came to see me today with a book about the horrors of slaughterhouses and several articles about how bad they are, including that they pollute, that slaughterhouse workers tend to become violent at home, and that even the most "humane" of them turns into a nightmare.
I asked her if we should all just stop eating meat then, and she said that she's not after shutting down the slaughterhouse business but that this suggested operation - this one would be regional, serving at least five surrounding counties - would be way too big for a small town like ours and would damage our soft-focus rural picture.
So is this a good thing or not?