A bid to ban new slaughterhouses in Sioux Falls fell short on Election Day, in ballot counting that went well into Wednesday morning.

Sioux Falls voters rejected a measure to halt new slaughterhouse construction by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent.

While the measure would have changed the city’s zoning rules to apply to all new slaughterhouses, it was aimed specifically to stop a new hog processing plant proposed by Wholestone Farms in northeastern Sioux Falls. Opponents of the measure financed by Smart Growth Sioux Falls collected enough signatures to force the issue to a public vote.

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