Small abattoirs crucial for transition to sustainable farming, says SFT
Speaking at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) stressed the importance of small abattoirs in supporting sustainable, high welfare farming systems.
Chaired by John Mettrick, a small abattoir owner in Glossop, chairman of the Q Guild and chair of the Abattoir Sector Group, the conference involved a panel including Defra, farmers, abattoir owners and campaigners.
As part of a discussion about funding for new abattoirs, which had been raised at the Oxford Farming Conference the previous day, panellists agreed that the key issue for the abattoir sector is to maintain the existing network of diverse small abattoirs.
“An essential component”
Patrick Holden, CEO of the SFT and an organic dairy farmer, said: “Small abattoirs are an absolute lifeline for our farming business. We believe animals should not only have a good life but also a compassionate death, which we believe is impossible unless there is a local abattoir.”
Holden added: “Without local abattoirs we simply will not be able to support the transition to sustainable farming systems. The small abattoir renaissance is not a marginal issue, it is an absolutely essential component of this transition plan.”
John Mettrick said: “As has been seen in the US, the meat industry has become too centralised and too top heavy with animals backing up on farms. If we just talk about capacity and throughput, we are heading towards a system that is vulnerable to shocks and which doesn’t serve more sustainable farming systems or local supply chains. We need a more resilient system.”
Committed to tackling industry challenges
John Powell, head of agricultural teams at Defra, said: “Defra recognises the role that abattoirs play in the rural economy. We are very committed to working with the abattoir sector on the challenges it is facing. While items for abattoirs did not make the first round of equipment funding, there will be other rounds. There is also the adding value theme and we are looking to offer support to producer-owned abattoirs and mobile abattoirs. We are also actively looking to reduce the administrative burden but it will take time.”
Kath Dalmeny, CEO of sustainable food advocacy group Sustain, said that the industry needs “roots to market and right scale infrastructure.” She said: “Supermarket infrastructure has benefitted enormously from public money. We should be rising up and claiming the money liberated from EU systems. We were promised that the money from the structural funds would be spent on rural communities and the climate agenda. Large amounts of money will be invested in green jobs and this should include abattoirs and infrastructure.”
Marisa Heath from the Abattoir Sector Group ended the session by saying that the role of infrastructure “needs to keep being raised, talking about local food is great but that’s not possible without the infrastructure.” Heath asked attendees to continue to raise the issues discussed with their local government.
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