Locally-raised, inspected poultry is now available to Yukoners at a retail grocery store in Whitehorse following several years of work by the territory’s poultry farmers.

The opening of The Farm Gate, a licensed and inspected poultry operation owned by Cain and Michelle Vangel, marks the first opportunity for Yukon retailers to offer Yukon-raised poultry products in store.

The new licensed, privately-owned white meat abattoir facility means producers now have a place where their birds can be processed.

Retailers now have the ability to purchase inspected poultry to add to their shelves in their store or on their menu, the Yukon government said Monday.

As well, Yukoners can now access Yukon-raised poultry products through many different sale points.

The first inspected, locally-raised chickens went into the freezers at Bigway Foods in Copper Ridge in late June.

The availability of locally-raised and inspected poultry is an important step in developing the capacity of Yukon’s agriculture industry and will increase food security for Yukoners,” said Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Ranj Pillai.

“Congratulations to the Vangel family and The Farm Gate and thanks to Sam Jurovich of Bigway Foods, the agriculture branch, and the Animal Health Unit for working hard to bring this to fruition.”

The Yukon has a growing red and white meat industry.

Since 2016, there has been a 200 per cent increase in the number of inspected animals reaching the retail market.

During the challenging times presented by COVID-19, Yukoners have shown their desire to buy local, and meat inspection in 2020 is projected to double last year’s numbers, the government said.

“I am happy to be able to provide locally-raised poultry to Yukoners and I‘d like to thank Sam, Nathan and Ash at Bigway Foods for stepping up to carry more locally-raised products in their grocery store,” said Cain Vangel.

“I anticipate this is just the first step in an expansion of choice of locally-raised inspected poultry that will be available to Yukoners in the near future.”

Both red and white meat inspection requires an inspector to view the live animals, ensuring their pre-slaughter health, and to visually inspect each animal during and after processing.

Inspections of abattoir facilities are carried out by qualified territorial government meat inspectors.

Jurovich, Bigway’s owner, said his customers “enjoy the ability to buy locally grown and raised foods, and we are happy to support Yukon farms and processing facilities to deliver the goods that customers are requesting.”