(MOA Basseterre, St. Kitts, 26 March 2025):
In a significant move to enhance the quality of locally processed meat, staff of the St. Kitts Abattoir recently completed specialized training in choice cuts, thanks to the strategic partnership between the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and Southern University of Louisiana.
Traditionally, carcasses processed at the St. Kitts Abattoir have been cut in a standard manner, with all parts sold at a uniform price. However, the introduction of choice cuts—often referred to as prime cuts—will allow farmers to sell certain portions of their meat at a greater price, ultimately increasing their revenue.
Joseph Berry, Manager of the St. Kitts Abattoir, expressed his enthusiasm about the training, stating, “They have taken the time to do a training in choice cuts here at the abattoir. This would have great benefits not only for the abattoir staff, who will gain valuable knowledge on how to execute these choice cuts, but also for the farmers in St. Kitts,” Berry added. “As a result, they will be able to sell parts of their carcasses for a higher price than they usually would.”
The training is expected to introduce a value-added aspect to the local meat industry. By distinguishing prime cuts from standard portions, both the abattoir and local farmers stand to gain from increased profitability. However, Berry acknowledged that mastering these techniques requires ongoing education and practice.
To ensure long-term success, Mr. Berry emphasized the importance of continued training efforts, either by bringing in more facilitators or by sending workers overseas for extended training programs. “We are hoping that more courses can be attained in the near future, whether it be that we have more facilitators coming in or one or two of the workers can go overseas for even a two-month period or three-month period and really get this training down pack and come back and impart on the other workers here the full knowledge of how this very important aspect of meat processing can be beneficial.”
Research Scientist of Meats Processing and Livestock Director at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Curtis Chisley, facilitated the training. Chisley, who specializes in pork, beef, lamb, and goat carcass cut evaluation, said that it was important for the staff to learn about the various types of animal cuts—primal and retail. In addition, he said the training session, focused on enhancing the technical skills associated with choice cuts, extended its scope to emphasize the broader implications of reducing the dependency on imported meat products. He said, “I think the overall goal in my current profession would be to assist the government and to better have their abattoirs currently as they wish to be able to subsidize the imports that are coming in with the products that they can make here. My objective here is to not only help with the cuts but also make suggestions about what we can do with live animals. You have to [first] start with breeding animals, feeding animals, and harvesting animals to get to what my specialty is, which is the meat part.”
By distinguishing prime cuts from standard portions, the training introduces a value-added aspect that advances the St. Kitts and Nevis’ meat processing capabilities and bolsters the economic prospects for livestock farmers.
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