Community Supported Butchery

THE #4GOODS MEATHOUSE

The vision for this on-farm boning and packing room that we are developing here at Echo Valley, and how it fits into our larger vision for the farm, our community, and the broader food system.

First and foremost, our decision to build an on-farm facility to process our livestock was driven by our commitment to the 4 goods. As you know everything, we do here on the farm has to be passed through these testing questions. “Is what we are wanting to do” Good for the Animal, Good for the Land, Good for the Farmer and Good for those we feed?

And the “4 goods Meathouse” is no different. You see we have a 100-year vision for our little farm and that vision extends well beyond our boundary fence. We see our role as agroecological, regenerative food producers as important players in helping to build a fair, just, and inclusive local food system.

We see our role as farmers and food producers as pivotal in upholding key social principles of food sovereignty.

“Food sovereignty is what we mean when we talk about reclaiming the power of food.

“When the power of food is usurped by corporations that put profits first, other considerations that are important to farmers and their community —like making sure our food is healthy, accessible to all and sustainable— take a backseat to priorities held by corporate shareholders. Farmers’ incomes deteriorate, our diets worsen, and the planet suffers”.

In contrast-

When food is grown by farmers to benefit their communities, it can provide nourishment and security without damaging the land. This kind of agriculture can make us stronger, healthier, and more connected to the land, to our culture, and to each other. That’s the power of food”.

As we developed the concept of our new farm enterprise “The 4 goods Meathouse” we came to the conclusion that in order to fulfill our commitment to the #4goods and uphold the 7 pillars of Food Sovereignty, it needed to be set up a little differently. All too often the connection of food-to-country-to-eater/community is lost at this pivotal point when the products the farmer has worked so hard to produce in partnership with country, rolls out the front gate and heads off to be changed from resource into product. So how do we correct this break in the connection between country-custodian-consumer(eater)? Well, here’s our take on it. We will be focusing on 4 key areas to return connection back to the farm/land, not only for us but also with any farmer or consumer who partners with us. And so, for that reason profits raised through the Meathouse will be directed back to country and community through 4 key areas. They are:

1. Paying the rent: the “4goods meathouse” will acknowledge the original Custodians of the land on which we farm (the Githabul people on Bundjalung land) and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We will commit a percentage of our earnings to pay the rent as a small acknowledgement of the unceded land on which we farm, and to demonstrate that we are grateful for the opportunity to be present on country.

2. Building Ecological Heath: we will utilise the 4goods meathouse as a tool in our work to restore the ecological function of our landscape. Through listening deeply to our landscape, we will plant more trees, repair riparian zones, build soil and walk on the journey to heal country. But not only our farm, we have a vision that any farmer who partners with the 4goods Meathouse will be able to access funds generated through feeding our community to implement regenerative agroecological initiatives on the landscape they manage.

3. Growing more growers: We are committed to sharing our learnings and assisting aspirational farmers, growers, and eaters in their journey to food production. So, we are committing to assisting young farmers, and our community to get farming through internships, training, on farm workshops, peer to peer knowledge sharing, and support.

4. Everyone should have access to nutrient dense nutritious food: There is no question the act of growing food the way we do (in partnership with the landscape) takes more time and can cost more financially to produce particularly when as a farmer you are also trying to pay down the ecological debt left to you from past extractive farming practices, but we believe that all members of our community should have the opportunity to eat well. So, the 4 goods Meathouse will be committed to, and expanding, our “Scott’s box”. This is an initiative focused on ensuring that we provide a range of nutritious food products through a mutual aid concept to those experiencing tough times.

So, for want of better words, the “4goods Meathouse” will be established as a not-for-profit social enterprise. More importantly, we truly hope it will be another link in establishing a food system that is Local, Fair, Just, and Inclusive.

Check out this collaborative video with the team at Felons Brewing. We receive 5 ton of their spent brewers grain each week, diverting it from landfill and turning it into animal and soil feed!