Agenda 10-17-23; 8-d - Request for Approval of the Proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Orange and Durham Counties for the Storage and Implementation of the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit

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1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 17, 2023 Action Agenda Item No. 8-d SUBJECT: Approval of the Proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Orange and Durham Counties for the Storage and Implementation of the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit DEPARTMENT: Cooperative Extension ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1. Durham & Orange County Mobile Jonathon Smith, County Extension Processing Unit Program Director, 919-245-2057 Memorandum of Understanding 2. Mobile Processing Unit Program User Agreement PURPOSE: To approve of the Memorandum of Understanding between Orange and Durham Counties for the storage and implementation of a Mobile Poultry Processing Unit. BACKGROUND: There currently are no small poultry processing operators in North Carolina to process poultry raised on-farm. The only facility in the state closed in 2017, and the US Department of Agriculture allowed for a special exemption to allow meat processors in North Carolina to process poultry. This special exemption ended in December 2022, leaving small farms with the burden of purchasing thousands of dollars of equipment to process their flock on farm. A solution employed by other NC counties is the rental of a mobile processing unit (MPU) for processing a small flock of poultry. These units allow for the processing of poultry to be much quicker, cleaner, and safer for the small farm owner or operator. Additionally, it can help new and beginning farmers to enter a market that would otherwise require a high amount of capital expenditure. There have been no MPUs within Durham or Orange counties for rent, and the nearest ones are not available to Durham and Orange producers due to location and/or high demand. Durham County Cooperative Extension purchased an MPU and a trailer to house the MPU in 2022 from funds earned from the implementation of NC Farm School with other County Extension partners, including Orange County Cooperative Extension. The MPU will allow current farmers of pasture raised birds, as well as new and beginning farmers interested in starting a small poultry farm, options for processing their birds on-farm. This also supports the resiliency of the food system by creating another avenue for locally grown food in Durham and Orange counties. The users of the MPU will be required to participate in training delivered by Extension personnel prior to renting the MPU and as well as sign a user agreement (See Attachment 2).