A Hurdle for Locally Raised Meats

The "locavore" movement -- the move to encourage restaurant chefs and home cooks to find local sources for the foods they prepare -- has a big hurdle when it comes to meats.

According to the New York Times, a shortage of slaughterhouses in many areas of the country is making it difficult for those who raise pigs, cattle and other meat to get their products to market. The article quotes a federal statistic showing that the number of slaughterhouses within the U.S. has fallen 33 percent since 1992. The Times writes:

Fewer slaughterhouses to process local meat means less of it in butcher shops, grocery stores and restaurants.

... "There are a lot of people out there who raise great animals for us to use, and they don't have the opportunity to get them to us because the slaughterhouses are going away," said Bill Telepan, chef and owner of Telephan, a high-end restaurant in New York.