October 25, 2024
Governor Youngkin Awards Grant to Support Establishment of Abattoir in Fauquier County
~ Fauquier County Department of Agricultural Development and Fauquier Livestock Exchange are working together to deliver new meat processing facility ~

Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Fauquier County Department of Agricultural Development and the Fauquier Livestock Exchange Board of Directors have been awarded a planning grant to aid in the development of a new abattoir in Marshall, Va. The $9,800 grant, from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Planning Grant Program, will help to establish a management structure and strategic plan for the operation of the new meat-processing facility.

"It’s so important for our Virginia livestock producers to have a strong local pipeline for processing their animals and providing consumers with high-quality local meat," said Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Joe Guthrie. "Governor Youngkin previously supported this project with an AFID Fund Planning Grant in 2022, and this latest grant demonstrates the state’s continued support of this project and the Commonwealth’s livestock industry."

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which administers the AFID Planning Grant program, accepts applications on a rolling basis. Since 2013, AFID Planning Grant awards totaling over $1.1 million have been awarded to 55 projects in 66 unique localities across the Commonwealth. Successful applications will demonstrate a clear need, a proposed solution, strong support from local government and the agriculture and forestry community, and the ability to provide matching funds.

Additional information about the AFID Planning Grant program is available here.