QADAZILLA, Iraq - High in the mountains of the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, residents of Qadazilla now have a modern, sanitary meat processing facility providing fresh meat products to the citizens of northern Iraq thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The USACE Gulf Region District, Kirkuk Resident Office served as the management partner for construction of the $1.1 million meat processing facility. The government-run project which became fully operational this month was initiated to promote the processing of meat products under sanitary conditions in an effort to reduce health risks for consumers according to local officials.
According to Maj. Edward Allen, officer-in-charge of the Kirkuk office, the plant provides an efficient meat processing capability with an environmentally friendly waste disposal system. The facility has two crematories to dispose of the waste products. Allen says there is even a tannery on site to process animal hides to maximize the animals' economic potential.
To maintain the proper sanitation of processed meat, walk-in-freezers were included in the design plan to store the meat products while awaiting shipment to local butcher shops and grocery stores in the area. Additional offices were built on the site so other local area government agencies can share much needed office space in the new building.
"The year-long construction project went well considering Qadazilla's remote location. Overall the contractor did a very good job," Allen said. "This is one of the best built projects I have been associated with since I've been deployed here in Iraq."
The processing plant has an added bonus by providing more than 30 good-paying jobs to local residents and giving an economic boost to the community. The Turkish owned Levo Company served as the general contractor for the meat processing plant. Funding for the project was provided by the Economic Support Fund.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the government of Iraq. Since 2004, USACE has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $9.1 billion, and has more than 250 projects ongoing. The overall reconstruction effort in Iraq currently provides jobs for more than 20,000 Iraqis.
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