Small abattoirs are being urged to apply for a new government fund launched to increase productivity and add value to products.
John Powell, head of agricultural teams at Defra, outlined the new Smaller Abattoir Fund at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, which was launched last month.
It will be open to eligible abattoirs to apply for grants to improve animal health and welfare, as well as to contribute to new technology and innovation.
At the conference, Mr Powell urged abattoirs to apply, saying the government had done its bit and it now lies with industry to take up the money.
Demonstrating the fund works and is successful will make a stronger case for making more money available to the sector in future.
He also shared that government have begun pulling together a case for adoption of the ‘5% rule’ and that ministers are keen to see this happen quickly.
The rule is a flexibility that exists in EU legislation and enables smaller abattoirs to slaughter up to 5% of the total national throughput without triggering full veterinarian presence and charges.
Failure to adopt this rule has stifled productivity and growth in the sector as some of the smallest abattoirs opt to keep their throughput under the 1k livestock units per annum allowance in order to keep inspection and charges to a minimum.
Mr Powell said this was an important step in the right direction and was something the Abattoir Sector Group had been lobbying for.
He emphasised that Defra want to support the sector: “You bring the problems to us and together we’ll look at what’s possible… We really are supportive of small abattoirs.”
Stephen Hill, owner of small abattoir and butchery Perry’s of Eccleshall, welcomed the new fund: “The funding has come at the right time for me, I want to move the business forwards.”
He called on existing small abattoirs to think about their future and emphasised the need for a succession plan: “If you are a small abattoir owner and you are thinking of closing the abattoir then mothball it, don’t close it.
"We can’t afford to lose any more small abattoirs. Someone might come along who would want to take it over," Mr Hill explained.
Anna Blumfield, from Deersbrook Farm, rears Pasture Fed Sussex cattle and runs a farm shop and butchery.
She explained at the conference that their local abattoir was “the key cog in our farming system - without them doing the processing I couldn’t get product to consumers.”
The benefits of small local abattoirs were outlined, including their knowledge of good animal husbandry, personalised service and better end product, as well as providing jobs to the local community.
Ms Blumfield emphasised that “good communication and mutual trust” were essential as this allowed them to plan their business for the whole year.
“Having knowledge that our abattoir is thriving gives us the confidence to plan for the future.”
Phil Scott from Lake District Farmers, a wholesale meat supplier that provides a sustainable route to market for Fell farmers in Cumbria, highlighted the challenges in the region.
Despite there being 5,242, mainly livestock-based, farm holdings in Cumbria with a 12,500 strong workforce, there are only two abattoirs offering private kill, both in the south of the county.
Following the closure of Black Brow abattoir in Wigton last year, farmers are now travelling from as far as Scotland down to Airey’s abattoir near Grange-Over-Sands to take their animals to slaughter.
But Mr Scott said this was having a knock on effect for local customers, with a local butcher’s shop unable to get their animals slaughtered in the run up to Christmas.
He emphasised the need for more skilled staff, both slaughter men and butchers, to ensure the sector thrives and called for more apprenticeships and better advertising of the sector as being a good career path to young people.
The final speaker, farmer Andy Gray, talked about Fir Farm’s Moveable Slaughter Unit, owned by Lady Parker, which he had been trialling on his farm in Devon.
He explained how the unit is the first of it’s kind in the UK and broke the mould with the Food Standards Agency, with whom they worked to ensure the unit met regulatory requirements.
He said: “It has very much been a listening and collaborative experience, changing the environment in which we are working.”
