The opening of The Farm Gate, a licensed and inspected poultry operation owned by Cain and Michelle Vangel, marks the first opportunity for Yukon retailers to offer Yukon-raised poultry products in store.
Locally-raised and inspected poultry is now available to Yukoners at a retail grocery store in Whitehorse following several years of work by Yukon's poultry farmers.
The opening of The Farm Gate, a licensed and inspected poultry operation owned by Cain and Michelle Vangel, marks the first opportunity for Yukon retailers to offer Yukon-raised poultry products in store.
The new licensed, privately-owned white meat abattoir facility means producers now have a place where their birds can be processed, retailers now have the ability to purchase inspected poultry to add to their shelves in their store or on their menu, and Yukoners can now access Yukon raised poultry products through many different sale points.
The first inspected, locally-raised chickens went into the freezers at Bigway Foods in Whitehorse in late June.
Owner of The Farm Gate, Cain Vangel said in a statement, I am happy to be able to provide locally-raised poultry to Yukoners and I'd like to thank Sam, Nathan and Ash at Bigway Foods for stepping up to carry more locally-raised products in their grocery store. I anticipate this is just the first step in an expansion of choice of locally-raised inspected poultry that will be available to Yukoners in the near future.
Yukon has a growing red and white meat industry. Since 2016 there has been a 200 per cent increase in the number of inspected animals reaching the retail market. During the challenging times presented by COVID-19, Yukoners have shown their desire to buy local and meat inspection in 2020 is projected to double last year's numbers.