Ellis County commissioners rejected a proposal to build a custom slaughterhouse right at the county line between Navarro and Ellis counties this past week, but the owner isn’t giving up his goal of starting the new business, and may be interested in moving it to Navarro County.

Shamsul Ahmed owns 200 acres at the Navarro/Ellis county lines near Alma, but now he’s considering buying another parcel in Navarro for his small operation. Ahmed runs a grazing ranch on the land now, but between flooding on his lower 130 acres this fall, and the rising costs of feed and hay, he can’t make enough on the ranch to pay and still be a good steward of the land. Instead, he wanted to put in 4,000-square-foot slaughterhouse for specialty processing.

Ellis County commissioners explained that they voted against the business because it wouldn’t fit into the growing residential area in southern Ellis County.

“Some people moving out of Dallas are building some very nice homes (in that area). It’s turning into a very nice area,” said Bill Dodson, Ellis County Commissioner, precinct 2. “I would hope we could maintain a rural lifestyle and not go into an industrial area there.”

Precinct 3 Commissioner from Ellis County Heath Sims grew up on a ranch near Waxahachie and he knows that animals raised on farms and ranches don’t go to cow heaven.

“They were talking about how terrible the smell (of feedlots) is, and I understand that, but I also know from my background that smell is money. That’s how my parents raised us and sent us to college,” Sims said. “But we have rural citizens now that aren’t country and some of that they don’t understand.”

“There is a need for slaughterhouses,” Sims said. “Everyone goes to H.E.B., and Kroger and Minyards and buys meat, but they don’t want it produced in their backyards.”

Sims said he voted against the business because his voters didn’t want it in Ellis County.

“As rural as Ellis County still is when you look at the open space and as much farming operations are in the county, our demographics have changed with the urbanization of Red Oak, Waxahachie and Midlothian. Even though these people are living in rural areas, they aren’t from rural backgrounds.”

Opponents of the slaughterhouse pointed out that although Ahmed wasn’t seeking a huge operation, the state permit is a general one that would allow for much more than Ahmed was seeking.

“We’re talking about a place that was going to slaughter 25 to 30 steers or heifers a week, plus up to 400 goats a week,” Sims said. “But the state permit would allow them to kill up to 10,000 animals.”

The small 14-foot-wide gravel road wouldn’t accommodate a huge increase in truck traffic, and there were concerns about water runoff and disposal issues.

Texas law, which regulates rural areas, allows commissioners to reject a permit if the slaughterhouse is within 1,000 feet of a residence or school, or if it’s not compatible with surrounding land uses.

“We just really felt like in today’s time that’s not compatible with the neighboring area of Ellis County,” Sims said.

Helping present the project was engineer Michael Alturk, who designed the facility for Ahmed.

“It’s pretty small, it’s not huge,” Alturk said. “Honestly, I was surprised (by the reaction in Ellis County).”

The plans were still fairly preliminary, but still protesters were adamant to have the business refused.

“Half the county was out there opposing, and they didn’t know what they were opposing,” Alturk said. “Everything was very exaggerated and blown out of proportion. I think it’s been politically and religiously charged.”

Articles on the proposed slaughterhouse labeled it as “Muslim,” which Alturk believes inflamed sentiments in the area.

“It is halal, but it’s not a religious issue,” Alturk said, referring to the strict cleanliness and humanitarian rules surrounding Muslim slaughtering processes. Similar to the Jewish kosher rules, halal is a specialized meat market. Ahmed is hoping to locate his plant near Interstate 45 since his primary customers will be specialty groceries in North Dallas.

“They (opponents) are taking advantage of the situation now to color that, and paint a negative picture,” Alturk said.

Ahmed said he also thought there might be some prejudice since he is an Indian Muslim, but he didn’t emphasize it.

“I’m not making it an issue,” he said.

The other objections are not significant problems, he said. He expects to hire 15 to 20 people, which will contribute to the local economy, so the roads can be fixed, and he worked at a similar slaughterhouse in Florida, where it’s always hot and humid and that business emitted no foul smell, he said.

The company would be run according to state and federal rules, as well as the Halal requirements, which adds up to cleanliness first, he said.

“People think it’s a stinky business, and that’s not necessarily true,” Ahmed said.

In Ellis County, though, it was soundly rejected.

“We as Americans have said not in my backyard, and that’s a little bit of a concern,” Sims said. “But in our society, the people’s voices should be heard.”

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