Due to the state’s “fiscal crisis”, the BAC is seeking to return the plant to private sector ownership, contingent on assurances that it continues to operate as a slaughter and meat processing plant.
During a public hearing on the issue, the BAC said “the disposal of the MMM&S property to the private sector will be pursued as it is in the best interests of the State and the agricultural community, and to avoid any interruptions or cessation in the plant’s operation”.
Any new owner would be “encouraged to participate in educational programs and to work with the University of Alaska”.
MMM&S is the only US Department of Agriculture-approved slaughter facility in south-central Alaska. Located in Palmer, the plant is currently an asset of the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund, following a payment default. In its FY2015 year end summary, the slaughterhouse reported a loss of $155,015, which is close to the average loss per year of the meat plant.
Constructed in 1980, and run by the state since 1986, at one stage the slaughterhouse was used as a training facility for the Department of Corrections. The site has faced sale several times over its 36-year history, with Alaskan businesses polled in 2014 on whether they would be interested in owning/operating a USDA slaughter facility, with 91.43% saying ‘No’.
The deal also includes $77 million-worth of meat processing equipment.
The deadline to submit proposals is 4pm on 11 July 2016.