FACTSHEET                                                                                                       7 May 2002 

MAITLAND ABATTOIR 

Ø      The Maitland Abattoir was originally built in 1914 at a cost of R50 000. The site cost R8 000.

Ø      In 1966 the abattoir was rebuilt on adjoining land at a cost of R3 million.

Ø      It is the largest abattoir in South Africa and the only one owned by a local authority.

Ø      It boasts the only red meat auctioning facility in the country and has certificates for Halaal and Kosher meat.

Ø      The abattoir has the highest quality control and hygiene standards in South Africa.

Ø      In 1993 the meat industry was deregulated, bringing the Council-owned abattoir into direct competition with private abattoirs.

Ø      For the past four years the abattoir has been operating at 50% of capacity due to fierce competition from privately owned abattoirs.

Ø      Consultants appointed by the City examined a number of options but recommended the sale of the abattoir “as is”.

Ø      Staff will be redeployed to Council departments.

Ø      A transaction adviser will be appointed to oversee the tender process for the sale and to drive the complex process forward.

Ø      The sale will result in substantial savings for the City. Apart from the sale price (still to be decided), the Council will get about R8,4 million from the sale of additional land, will get monthly rental income and will save R22,5 million on urgently needed capital expenditure, plus it will save annual capital expenditure of R1,3 million and eliminate an annual operating loss of about R9 million.

Ø      Many of the operations at the abattoir are currently outsourced.

Ø      The City will continue to enforce high standards at the abattoir after the sale.

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