$9800 planning grant awarded for new meat processing facility in Fauquier County

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Oct. 25 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 a 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 Joe Guthrie, Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture “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 in excess of $1.1 million have been awarded to 55 projects in 66 unique localities across Virginia. 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.