Artisanal Slaughter: The Multicultural Ethics of Goat Meat in Vermont

Against the cruel logic of the industrial slaughterhouse, non-commercial and on-farm slaughtering practices promise more ethical ways to confront animal death. This article examines how such “artisanal slaughter” becomes a valuable service for those pursuing a confluence of diverse ethical requirements such as religious devotion, sustainability, animal welfare, and food sovereignty. Goat meat affords unique insights into artisanal slaughter given its lack of mainstream availability in the United States. Eaten predominantly by African, South Asian, and other ethnic minority and immigrant communities, goats require time, money, and intention to acquire and slaughter in culturally appropriate ways. In Vermont, where alternative agriculture enjoys strong state support and a widespread reputation, sustainability ethics converge with the culinary preferences of a growing immigrant and refugee population to support a small goat meat industry on the margins of the mainstream food system. This article analyzes how artisanal goat slaughter critiques the industrial-capitalist food system, even while remaining embedded within the constraints of its norms. Particularly amid post-COVID slaughterhouse bottlenecks, artisanal slaughter suggests ways to circumvent the industrial meat industry, while offering a glimpse of a more culturally diverse alternative food movement.