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A developer in Jacksonville, Florida, who withdrew his slaughterhouse proposal last year after our public campaign, is back with a new plan. Despite strong opposition and the suffering and violence it would inflict on animals, he's again pushing to bring slaughter operations into the city for profit. Urge the Planning Commission to reject it — before this proposal slips through.
 

Supporters of In Defense of Animals, Solutionary Species, and all advocates for humans, other animals, and the environment must act immediately before the planning meeting. The new proposal centers on expanding a commercial plaza, which would allow a new building and permit for “live animal processing” — the sanitized euphemism for slaughterhouse.

The developer, who owns the Apna Bazar grocery chain, threatens to bring over 50,000 square feet of cruelty and killing of innocent animals. The goal is to directly supply the grocery stores with the flesh from animals killed on the premises — described as “fresh” and “humane,” terms that mask the horror happening out of sight of consumers.

This facility would slaughter chickens, cows, and likely pigs, goats, and sheep. Animals often endure days in extreme weather without food or water before arrival and are terrified. Many animals are conscious during slaughter, if stunning is used at all. These animals are killed for food products at just a fraction of their natural lifespan, often as infants.

Slaughterhouses also pose serious threats to communities — polluting air, water, and soil with blood, feces, and toxic emissions like methane and ammonia. They flood neighborhoods with foul odors, lower the quality of life, and cause long-term ecological harm. Slaughterhouses also worsen the climate crisis and increase the spread of zoonotic diseases like bird and swine flu, putting public health at constant risk.

Workers in slaughterhouses face some of the most dangerous and dehumanizing conditions in the labor market. Many are desperate undocumented immigrants who suffer high rates of physical injury, depression, and suicide, often without sufficient protection or recourse.

The Jacksonville Planning Commission will begin considering the new slaughterhouse on August 21, 2025. Public comments will be accepted, so now is the time to speak out.

This expansion of killing and disregard for animals, residents, and nature must be stopped. Decision-makers need to hear that bringing new slaughterhouses is unnecessary and unwanted — Jacksonville and the world need solutions rooted in compassion, health, and environmental care.

Killing animals for products that humans can survive and thrive without must be reckoned with and ultimately ended. These animals fight for their lives in their final moments, but their voices go unheard. It's up to us to speak for them and uphold their collective right to live free from human harm.

Advocates blocked this slaughterhouse from becoming a reality last year by raising our voices; you can help stop it again. Let's show the power of standing together against the exploitation and killing of animals.

Letter to Decision Maker(s) for reference:

Subject: Reject the Renewed Slaughterhouse Proposal in Jacksonville

As a concerned citizen and one of over 250,000 supporters of In Defense of Animals, the environment, and public health, I’m writing to urge you to reject the revived slaughterhouse proposal tied to the owner of the Apna Bazar grocery chain. This plan was already withdrawn last year after overwhelming public outcry from animal advocates, environmental groups, and concerned residents. The community’s stance has not changed. This project is dangerous, unnecessary, and deeply harmful to the city.

The proposed facility would allow "live animal processing" — a sanitized term for slaughterhouse operations — within a commercial plaza currently serving families with retail and grocery services. It would bring the on-site killing of animals into the neighborhoods, introducing horrific suffering, unsanitary conditions, and potentially traumatic exposure for nearby residents.

Slaughterhouses also produce serious public health and environmental threats. They emit blood, feces, ammonia, methane, and other pollutants into the air, water, and soil. They increase the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks like bird flu and swine flu, degrade air quality, overwhelm neighborhoods with foul odors, and contribute to the climate crisis. They also impose immense psychological and physical burdens on workers.

Please do the right thing and reject this proposal before the Planning Commission. The city’s future must be built on health, safety, compassion, and sustainability, not violence and pollution for profit.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Signed

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