Rural activists have called on the new government to halt the closure of the UK’s slaughterhouse network, online publication FarmingUK reported on July 12.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has called on the new ministers to announce “attentive and reliable support” Small family-run slaughterhouses. In recent years, their number has decreased significantly.
Recent estimates suggest there are only about 50 small abattoirs left in England, Wales and Scotland. With each closure, campaigners warn, farmers are forced to travel further and further afield. And the burden on remaining abattoirs increases.
Action to encourage the use of the Small Slaughterhouse Fund introduced by the previous government in December last year should be high on the new government’s agenda, RBST said. “The scheme must be urgently reviewed to ensure that it is fully available to the slaughterhouse owners it is intended to help.”said the organization’s executive director, Christopher Price.
He added that many of these companies did not have the funds to meet the significant start-up costs and many lacked practical experience to complete the Rural Payments Agency paperwork.
The farming group also called on the new Department of Agriculture to ensure that the £3m (340m rouble) investment announced in May in new abattoirs is implemented quickly.
Indicated price: “Many parts of the country currently lack local abattoirs and for sustainable livestock farming to survive in these areas, this loss must be urgently reversed.”.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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