Lack of Small Abattoirs

[delilah]

We have been told by an abattoir operator on here what needs to happen to reverse the decline; reduced inspection charges, subsidized waste removal.
What do we call for ? A competition inquiry into the waste collection sector.
The Competition and Markets Authority is as much use as a chocolate teapot. If they didn't care about Tesco buying Booker, they aren't going to give a flying feck about how many firms go round collecting waste from abattoirs.
We are told that that document is aimed at ministers. Any minister is just going to glaze over and put it at the bottom of their pending tray.
As the document says, there are only 60 small abattoirs left. It is a sector at deaths door. Where is the urgency ?

 

[topground]

Is there any mention in this discussion of the probability that ‘home kill’ will increase significantly in the absence of small abattoirs because there will be no alternative. That brings with it the increased risk of diseased meat finding its way into the food chain which is the reason why slaughterhouses were licenced and meat inspection regulations introduced in the first place and also why local authorities took on the provision of local slaughtering facilities in the absence of privately operated sites.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

My ex was a Vet. She hated her compulsory week in an abbatoir at the end of her course as it felt wrong to be seeing healthy beasts killed all day. Someone has to do it though.

Do they HAVE to be fully qualified vets though? Surely a suitably trained animal health officer could do it equally well at much lower cost?

Throughout the EU the "Vet" (Official Veterinarian OV) was a "Veterinaire Sanitaire" this was a trained meat inspector who had spent three years learning the trade.

Unfortunately our Government and to a certain extent in league with the Veterinary trade body interpreted this as being a fully qualified vet who had been trained for 5 or 6 years. Hence the reason for the very high costs and why almost all OV's are from overseas.

 

[topground]

Throughout the EU the "Vet" (Official Veterinarian OV) was a "Veterinaire Sanitaire" this was a trained meat inspector who had spent three years learning the trade.

Unfortunately our Government and to a certain extent in league with the Veterinary trade body interpreted this as being a fully qualified vet who had been trained for 5 or 6 years. Hence the reason for the very high costs and why almost all OV's are from overseas.

Correct, no reason why meat inspectors and EHOs shouldn’t inspect at low throughout slaughterhouses where the meat will not be exported now that we are out of the EU.

 

[delilah]

View attachment 979513

That's not an action plan. This is an action plan.


ASG Action Plan for the UK abattoir network.

The Dimbleby Report - the most important study of the food chain for a generation - calls for sustainable.
ELMS - the most important change in agricultural policy for a generation - calls for sustainable.

We cannot have sustainable without a thriving network of local and regional abattoirs.
Billions of pounds of taxpayer money is about to be spent in search of 'public good' via ELMS. Countless Government initiatives will wrangle with how to implement the Dimbleby recommendations.
Whatever it costs to turn around the decline in small abattoirs, it will be a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of not doing so.

We are now down to 60 local abattoirs. By the time you read this it will be 59, or 58. You have to act now.
We know what needs to be done. An abattoir owner spelt it out on The Farming Forum.

If there was 100% relief on inspection and waste there would be no financial reason why small abattoirs could not thrive.

100% rebate on inspection costs. 100% subsidy of waste disposal costs. For any abattoir handling less than xxx LSU/ yr. Government must implement these measures, now.

 

[Paddington]

My ex was a Vet. She hated her compulsory week in an abbatoir at the end of her course as it felt wrong to be seeing healthy beasts killed all day. Someone has to do it though.

Do they HAVE to be fully qualified vets though? Surely a suitably trained animal health officer could do it equally well at much lower cost?

Often thought it must be a soul destroying job, training for several years, only to watch livestock being unloaded before checking carcases.

 

[Woolless]

Correct, no reason why meat inspectors and EHOs shouldn’t inspect at low throughout slaughterhouses where the meat will not be exported now that we are out of the EU.

There's a shortage of meat inspectors and EHOs as well.

 

[delilah]

 

[delilah]

To take abattoirs as an example.
There is an Abattoir Sector Group, working to reverse the decline.

https://abattoirsectorgroup.org/councillors/

Great. But look at the list of members. The largest organisation on there is the RBST. Membership ? It will be in the thousands, but that will be it. In a country of 70 million, The Abattoir Sector Group has no mandate.
Look at the environmental organisations that rely, whether they always realise it or not, on a thriving abattoir sector.
The Wildlife Trusts. 850,000 members.
RSPB. Over a million members.
Get them on board. With their support you have a mandate. MP's have to listen.

 

[JP1]

I'm only aware of 2 within 60 miles of here now. 1 is on a farm near Chelmsford in Essex, 40 miles away. It was opened 20 years ago to serve their growing farm shop and now does kills for small butchers shops and home consumption as well if they have spare capacity. The other is part of a butchers shop in Royston, 30 miles away, and will occasionally fit in a private kill.

We do have Dawn Cardington 30 miles away, part of the Dawn Meats group from Ireland. They are a medium sized plant serving the majors but won't touch private kills. They did do a casualty slaughter for us a few years ago but only after being asked as a favour by an AHDB staff member.

The one near Chelmsford is 65 miles and an hour and a quarter minimum for me but my best / only option for private kill. They are very fair and very helpful

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

The one near Chelmsford is 65 miles and an hour and a quarter minimum for me but my best / only option for private kill. They are very fair and very helpful

They are good, we've used them for years.

As a child I recall us using British Beef in Watford. They closed.
We used a butcher in Stanstead Abbotts who had his own micro slaughterhouse. He closed.
We went to Playles at Royston. They closed.
We went to Humphries. They remain open and seem to be doing well.

 

[delilah]

https://abattoirsectorgroup.org/asg-welcomes-parliamentary-report-to-government/

https://abattoirsectorgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EFRA-report.pdf

paras 94 - 102.
Anyone on here involved in this ? Comments on progress ?

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

https://abattoirsectorgroup.org/asg-welcomes-parliamentary-report-to-government/

https://abattoirsectorgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/EFRA-report.pdf

paras 94 - 102.
Anyone on here involved in this ? Comments on progress ?

So the DEFRA head of animal welfare 'regretted' that the proposals 'did not land the right way' and the government Chief Veterinary Officer 'could have given it more attention'

 

[wrenbird]

So the chief vets excuse for being asleep at the wheel could be summed up as, “I get lots of e-mails, perhaps I should of looked at some of them”.

 

[delilah]

So what happens next then ? The closest I can find in there by way of 'action' :

The Abattoirs Sector Group and The UK Abattoirs Network suggested that the Defra should establish a streamlined working group focused on ensuring that regulations in small and medium sized abattoirs are applied in a proportionate and coordinated way.

Meetings about meetings. .

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

This is a very damning statement from the CVO and shows what a joke this whole consultation has been. There are some very valid points in here but I believe it still misses out the ridiculous decision about banning all exports for slaughter or further fattening. It is still not clear what will happen to livestock from NI once March 2022 arrives and they have to go through a BCP.

would have benefited from “Some pre-discussions and preliminary co-design.”222 When we asked the Chief Veterinary Officer about the proposals, she said “I get copied into lots of emails” and she could have “read the actual detail of it more thoroughly.”223 106. Gareth Baynham-Hughes, Director of Director, Animal and Plant Health and Welfare at Defra, said he regretted that the proposals “did not land in the right way and undermined a wider sense that we have been building over the last few years for really good and effective stakeholder engagement with the sector.”224 Defra have said they are “now considering this policy area in further detail to determine what will be taken forward in future legislation to improve transport conditions for animals.”225 Lord Benyon said that he will keep the proposals within “the realms of practicality.”226 107. We welcome the ban on export for slaughter and fattening as an important step in protecting animal welfare. We understand that the number of animal movements this ban will affect is small, however, we are concerned that there may be unintended consequences. Particularly, that it may create longer journeys, which may increase costs for some UK farms and could have the unintended effect of worsening animal welfare. We are also concerned that this will prohibit the movement of livestock for breeding purposes. Defra should work with the organisations and businesses that will be affected by the ban on export for slaughter to ensure that the ban is introduced in a pragmatic way that will not adversely affect rural businesses or animal welfare. 108. Supporting and bolstering the UK abattoirs network will benefit our food security and protect animal welfare. There is a direct link between the Government’s current policy of limiting journey times between the farm and abattoirs, and the need for a network of small and medium abattoirs spread geographically around the UK. Equally, small abattoirs must be commercially viable businesses, capable of supporting themselves. Defra should take action to protect small and medium abattoirs as a national strategic asset. These businesses should be supported and bolstered through the Future Farming Resilience Fund. Defra should set out and enact its approach to funding the UK abattoirs network as a strategic national asset within six months. 109. Heavy handed regulations can overburden small and medium abattoirs, preventing them from being successful commercial enterprises. Defra should establish a small working group to assess how effectively and fairly regulations are being applied in small and medium abattoirs. This group should ensure regulations are sensible and maintain food hygiene standards without overloading businesses. This group should be established by December 2021. 110. The Government’s proposals on ‘Improvements to animal welfare in Transport’ are well-meaning but flawed. They show a lack of understanding in how parts of the agricultural economy work and would have benefited from better co-design and consultation. We welcome that Defra is rethinking its proposals. Defra should ensure they work with the industry to develop its new proposals, making sure they protect animal welfare while being practical and realistic. It should publish the updated proposals by December 2021.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

It does seem, on many different levels, that DEFRA and the "DEFRA family" just don't understand farming, the industry that they were set up to regulate.

A sad state of affairs.

 

[Old Tip]

It does seem, on many different levels, that DEFRA and the "DEFRA family" just don't understand farming, the industry that they were set up to regulate.

A sad state of affairs.

Absolutely and furthermore they don’t want to learn either

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

So what happens next then ? The closest I can find in there by way of 'action' :

The Abattoirs Sector Group and The UK Abattoirs Network suggested that the Defra should establish a streamlined working group focused on ensuring that regulations in small and medium sized abattoirs are applied in a proportionate and coordinated way.

Meetings about meetings. .

SUGGESTED!

The small abattoir Sector is in terminal decline and they suggested a working group is formed!

'Recommend' would be weak, Demand would be more appropriate. With short reporting deadlines.

 

[JP1]

It does seem, on many different levels, that DEFRA and the "DEFRA family" just don't understand farming, the industry that they were set up to regulate.

A sad state of affairs.

Some of the shockers I heard last night at a pig meeting are almost incredulous