Business

There Are No Operational Abattoirs In The USVI

Dept. of Agriculture Commissioner Nominee, Positive Nelson, during a press conference on Tuesday spoke forcefully against what he called "bush kill", a term used in the territory for individuals who slaughter their livestock on their own. Mr. Nelson said the practice was illegal and could lead to food contamination, and called on those engaged in the practice -- unless it's for personal use -- to immediately cease. The former senator said the proper way of handling the slaughtering of animals is to bring livestock to the Department of Agriculture's abattoir, where trained professionals can safely kill the animals, which can then be sold to the public. But while Mr. Nelson advocated using the territory's abattoirs, as of Tuesday, none were operational -- not St. Croix's or St. Thomas's, and the commissioner nominee could not say when either would be back up. On St. Croix, Mr. Nelson blamed the abattoir's current down status on the Virgin Islands Water and P...