Mobile Abattoirs Coming to a Farm Near You?

Figure 1: Lititz, Pennsylvania. Butchering a steer in Lutz's slaughterhouse by Marjory Collins. Photo via Library of Congress website.

Since I'm a Michael Pollan groupie and think about the Balding & Bespectacled One nearly every day, whether I'm crunching into an Oreo or riding high on a local food bender at my farmer's market, this recent article in the Wall Street Journal provoked me. 

Remember how in The Book, Joel Salatin, the Polyface Farm and grass-fed "beyond organic" farmer, is having problems finding a way to make more money on his meat because of all the bullshit regulations from the USDA concerning slaughtering the animals and butchering them.

Perhaps these mobile abattoirs are the answer to local, small-operations farms that want to provide butchered products direct to the customer without having to build a costly, regulation-minding facility?

Or will these traveling units just spread disease as they go from place to place?  I can't help but wonder what old Michael Pollan or Joel Salatin have to say about this.  I wish one of them would blog already so I can know what's in their minds at any given moment.