Mobile Meat Processing Lab

Mobile Meat Processing Lab (MMPL)

Traditional ‘value-added’ approaches have been shown to work particularly well for people growing ethnic and other vegetable crops. Those growing meat goats and sheep, niche market poultry, or cultured fish currently have fewer ‘value-added’ options and a much more rigorous regulatory framework within which to operate. One major hurdle that continues to face many small producers is a lack of access to USDA certified meat processing facilities.

Nationwide, there are 16 mobile processing units in service with eight dedicated to processing poultry and eight for red meat. Only a few of these are USDA certified, and most are not designed for use with more than one type of animal. With funding from the USDA’s 1890 Capacity Building Grant Program (Grant # 2011‐02597 and Grant 2013‐04023), Delaware State University Cooperative Extension designed our Mobile Meat Processing Lab (MMPL) to be USDA certified for processing red meat, poultry and cultured fish, making it unique among the 16 mobile processing units currently in operation.  

DSU Cooperative Extension is making the MMPL available to Delaware’s small farmers so that they can benefit from the local and sustainable food movements sweeping the country. In addition, we hope that the MMPL will help increase the profitability of our current and prospective clientele by allowing even the smallest producers access to a USDA certified meat processing facility.