Agricultural News
Government Red Tape, Expense, Shutters Perkins Slaughter Operation
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:55:46 CDT
According to a report on the website Meatingplace.Com, Perkins, Oklahoma-based Ralph's Packing Co. will shut down its small slaughter operation in July and focus on further processed products such as sausage and jerky, which have become the bulk of its business.
"Much to our regret, after 53 years of doing the same processes, we will shut down our slaughter floor as of July 16, 2012. Processing meat under inspection has become a very labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive process. In these modern times it is becoming more and more difficult for a small meat plant to be as diversified as we are in making the many different products we do," owners Gary and Tess Crane explained in a public letter to customers.
"Modern government inspection rules and regulations have made it impossible for our plant to continue harvesting of animals, and to further process meat into the various fully cooked products we make without a huge capital investment," the letter added.
Erica Hering, company treasurer and granddaughter of company founder Ralph Crane, told Meatingplace the company is now selling its beef jerky products in about 45 Wal-Mart stores and through two grocery chains.
She said for the past 10 years the company has had to supplement its own slaughter operation with boxed beef to cover its further processing needs. About three years ago the company also expanded its retail space and doubled its retail business.
The company employs 44, of which three worked on the kill floor and four in the custom room as butchers and in packaging. Hering said all these workers would be absorbed into other existing operations.
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