UK Government announces support for smaller abattoirs

National Craft Butchers are delighted to see Farming Minister Mark Spencer confirm plans to introduce funding for small abattoirs.

NCB and its members have been at the forefront of fighting for small abattoirs for over 20 years, cofounding the Campaign for Local Abattoirs with the SFT in 2018 before becoming founding members of the Abattoir Sector Group. Our 2021 Abattoir survey highlighted the issues faced by small abattoirs and provided clear message from abattoirs owners that the issues most likely to cause closures were current regulatory burden, closely followed by economics (lack of capital) and staffing shortages.

National Craft Butchers look forward to the detail regarding the new funding later this year and hope that the recognition of ‘the key part’ abattoirs especially small abattoirs play in the supply chain will be carried forward into the ongoing work to review the one size fits all approach to regulation which has led to many small abattoir closures.

‘If farming is to flourish then we need to get the fundamentals right – abattoirs are key to the food supply chain and there is clearly a need to support smaller providers in this area.’

‘The availability of funding will help abattoirs to invest in new technology and improve productivity and animal health and welfare, allowing our agriculture sector to get its high-quality produce to market.’

Farming Minister Mark Spencer, speaking at the NFU conference

At a recent roundtable, attended by NCB members the minister met with the sector and discussed the issues they are facing.

The new funding which is due to be announced in full later this year, is proposed to help those abattoirs to add value by supporting the availability of local produce, providing specific equipment to support the rearing of rare and native breeds, encouraging rural employment, and safeguarding the food supply chain through a diverse and productive abattoir sector.

Please find the full press release here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/increased-government-funding-to-boost-farming-productivity

Contact NCB Head Office on 01892 541412, if you would like an update on our campaigning for small abattoirs.