Small abattoirs to be eligible for support under Agriculture Bill

Small abattoirs to be eligible for support under Agriculture Bill

Following pressure from industry, Government has announced that it is to address the issues facing small abattoirs as part of the committee stages of the Agriculture Bill, as well as recognising slaughtering as one of the ‘ancillary services’ eligible for funding under the Bill.

Image credit: Steph French.

The Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) and Campaign for Local Abattoirs have welcomed the confirmation from Government whip, Baroness Bloomfield, during the committee stages of the Agriculture Bill in the House of Lords that: “The Government are committed to addressing the issues raised by (the All-Party Group on Animal Welfare’s) recent report on small abattoirs.”

“…this is a very important victory for common sense and should help to ensure that producers of high welfare, locally-produced meat from environmentally sustainable farms can continue marketing this direct to consumers.”

Following the publication of its report, ‘A Good Life and A Good Death – re-localising farm animal slaughter,’ the SFT has been campaigning for small abattoirs for over two years, and according to the SFT, this is the first sign that the Government, which has long said animals should be slaughtered as close to the point of production as possible, has said it is willing to help small abattoirs financially and stem the ongoing level of closures.

Patrick Holden, SFT chief executive said: “Much more needs to be done to ensure support actually materialises and that it is used in the most effective way. But this is a very important victory for common sense and should help to ensure that producers of high welfare, locally-produced meat from environmentally sustainable farms can continue marketing this direct to consumers.”

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