Storm Ciarán: Jersey abattoir closure a 'massive blow' for farmers

The abattoir in St Helier closed a few weeks ago after sustaining damage in Storm Ciarán

The only abattoir in Jersey will remain closed until mid-December, the island's infrastructure minister has said.

The abattoir in St Helier was forced to close after sustaining extensive damage during Storm Ciarán.

The government said there was "a large amount" of work which needed to be done before the abattoir could reopen.

Deputy Tom Binet said the closure was "a massive blow" for the farming industry.

'Real sympathy'

Mr Binet said the abattoir had suffered extensive damage to its roof, the main structure of the building, and its equipment during the storm.

He said: "I'm pleased we've now been given clearance to begin repairs to the roof, which is complicated by the presence of asbestos, and we can now begin to make the building watertight again.

"We'll then need to do a deep clean of the building to make sure any potential asbestos fibres are removed before we can sort the electrics, as we also had water coming in through the light fittings."

Mr Binet said the chillers had also suffered from water damage.

He added: "The department wrote to farmers at the end of last week to explain the situation, and to outline that we hope to reopen the facility in the middle of December.

"I have real sympathy with the industry for what is, understandably, a massive blow for them, particularly at this time of year.

"I can reassure all those affected that the team are working their hardest to get the abattoir back up and running as quickly as possible following the storm damage."

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