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Our MissionThe mission of The Livestock Institute of Southern New England (or TLI) is to revitalize and strengthen livestock farming in Southern New England by (a) providing education and training to the community regarding humane and safe animal handling and slaughtering techniques, processing of meat, and related matters; (b) providing resources and information to the community regarding economic and agricultural development and management of resources; (c) offering job training for workers in small-scale, multi-species slaughterhouses and butchery; (d) conducting workshops and producing publications and materials to further the programs and educational concepts; (e) the creation of a state-of-art, USDA-inspected slaughterhouse and processing facility in Southeastern MA.
View TLI's Current Bylaws |
Who We Are |
The Livestock Institute of Southern New England is a Massachusetts non-profit organization formed in early 2014 (formerly the Southeastern Mass. Livestock Association). The board of directors consists of livestock producers, food advocates, and agriculture supporters.The board members have diverse backgrounds including extensive work with start-up companies, real estate development and management, government work, local meat production, and food advocacy. The Board meets weekly, communicates regularly and oversees and manages all aspects of the educational programming and the proposed slaughterhouse and processing facility.
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Our History |
The need for a local animal processing facility was first identified in 2007 when Abreu’s Custom Slaughterhouse in Dartmouth closed. A small group of the producers started work on finding a solution to the lack of slaughtering options in Southeastern MA. They examined a variety of alternatives including the type of facility (mobile, brick and mortar, or the conversion of an existing custom facility) and the operating model (ranging from a small family run operation to a substantial packing business) that would best fit this area. Simultaneously, they moved forward with a survey of producers in Southeastern MA and concluded that building a new, small, brick and mortar USDA-inspected facility would be the best option to pursue. They also concluded that while a small, craft slaughterhouse could be profitable, the facility would need some public funding due to the prohibitively high cost of building a new, USDA-inspected slaughterhouse and processing plant. In early 2014, the core group of producers formed the Southeastern Mass. Livestock Association, a Massachusetts non-profit, to be the vehicle to design, permit and build the facility.
In the processes of researching and designing a new slaughterhouse, it became apparent that without addressing the educational infrastructure for livestock farming and humane slaughter in Southern New England, the proposed slaughterhouse would not be successful. After much research and consideration, the SEMALA Board of Directors decided to pursue federal non-profit status (501(c)(3)) with a strong educational mission. In early 2016, SEMALA formally changed their name to The Livestock Institute of Southern New England (TLI), to reflect the new educational mission as well as better reflect the target area for the organization. In early 2016, TLI hosted the first in a series of educational seminars on best practices for livestock farming. Since then TLI has grown its education programs to include a focus on business planning and strategy, along with providing resources for best practices in animal husbandry. |