A cooperative effort is bringing the slaughterhouse to the animals in an attempt to make Hawaii’s meat market more sustainable.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Friday that almost all beef, pork and lamb products for sale in Hawaii are imported, but Hawaii Island Meat might reduce that as it reverses the tradition of bringing animals to slaughter.
Small livestock businesses can sign up as Hawaii Island Meat partners and share in the dividends.
The 36-foot mobile slaughterhouse was purchased for $220,000 through state agriculture funding and will process pigs, sheep, goats and cattle starting early next year.
The endeavor has been years in the making and involved development and small-business groups like the Kohala Center, a community conservation group.
Project manager Dana Shapiro says about 25 mobile slaughterhouses operate nationwide.
Maui roadwork to shut down streets in Haiku
Two Maui County Department of Public Works road projects will affect traffic in the Haiku area next week.
The Haiku Road Culvert Replacement Project will begin at 6 a.m. Monday. This project will repair the drainage system under the roadway as well as make road improvements and repairs. Haiku Road will be shut down, although motorists still will have access to Fukushima Store and Haiku Marketplace from Kokomo and Haiku roads.
Reconstruction work on Kokomo Road will continue May 16 between Lilikoi Road and half a mile from the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses church. The work will be done in segments and only on weekends, from 6 a.m. Saturdays to 10 p.m. Sundays.
Kokomo Road will be closed to traffic.
UH study faults vog for rise in health costs
Researchers with the University of Hawaii are trying to put a price tag on the impacts of vog, or volcanic gas emissions.
Hawaii News Now reported Thursday that a trio of researchers at the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization has found that on days where emissions are high, emergency room admissions for pulmonary reasons spike.
They say the total increase in health care costs since 2008, when activity on Hawaii island’s Kilauea Volcano spiked, has been almost $6.3 million statewide.
Vog is the term for the pollution formed from acidic gases and particles released by active volcanoes.
People in Hawaii have reported symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, sore throats and headaches because of vog downwind of Kilauea.
