The abattoir sector is in crisis. A worrying, and steady decline of small abattoirs now sees just 60 left in 2023 and given that they have been closing at an alarming rate of 10% per year, those remaining may well disappear altogether within a decade.
The risk of these essential rural businesses closing poses major problems for local food infrastructure, animal welfare, biodiversity and food security. A resilient, shorter and farmer-focused supply chain requires small abattoirs and butchers who have connections with local restaurants, pubs and retailers to be at the heart of it. Local livestock producers need a well-distributed network of small abattoirs that offer private kill services to farmers who may wish to add value by marketing and selling their meat directly to consumers, or to farmers who breed rare or native breeds but due to various restrictions are often unable to use larger processors.
I recently visited Down Lands Traditional Meats, a small abattoir in Sussex operated by Luke Smith. Luke told me about some of the pressures smaller abattoirs like his face. He struggles to keep up with demand, especially after the closure of Newman’s Abattoir in Farnborough earlier this year. Like many, his business suffers with recruitment and retention of staff, while the ageing facility and equipment within it was not designed to withstand the growing level of throughput.
Towards the end of the last parliament the previous Conservative government did help to alleviate some of the pressure with the introduction of the Small Abattoir Fund but given the small funding pot available and then the decision from the Labour government to cancel the fund, little support was ever delivered on the ground.
Many smaller abattoirs also struggle with increasing costs because of a regulatory system that is not designed to work with smaller processers. The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) charging system is one of the common complaints from small abattoirs. Currently the inspection system is based on hours of onsite vet (OV) attendance and charged at a set hourly fee, irrespective of animals slaughtered. Micro sites, with a throughput of under 1,000 livestock units (LSU’s), are not required to have a full-time OV attendance, so the majority of their hours will be covered by a 90% discount, but small abattoirs, those that serve more than 1,000 LSU’s will see their fees increased considerably.
In June 2025, the FSA will decide whether to launch a public consultation on the discount or accept the Treasury’s desire to remove it. If the discount is removed, The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers has warned that the estimated full costs will lead to the closure of 40% of the small abattoirs left in England and Wales. This comes alongside the additional burden of the FSA’s increase in inspection fees of approximately 20% from April this year.
Many small abattoirs also feel penalised by the FSA with constant inspections raising new issues that were not found in their most recent audit. All the while, the FSA provides no statutory right for abattoirs to appeal. Those in the industry have told me that it acts as judge, jury and executioner.
The frustration is palpable.
The FSA must seek to build positive and mutually beneficial working relationships with small abattoirs to ensure food safety and food security, while enabling these businesses to be as efficient and profitable as possible.
I have also spoken to Gavin Keen from Blackmore Vale Butchery a multi award winning butchery based in Henstridge who told me about the knock-on impact on the local food system if smaller abattoirs are forced out of business. Local butchers, restaurants, pubs and retailers rely on their relationships with small abattoirs to meet consumer demand.
I believe that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) must set a framework that values the strategic contributions that small abattoirs make to local food systems. It has previously noted that it “recognises the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays”, so Defra must now set out how they view small abattoirs fitting in their future of farming roadmap.
The Liberal Democrats are clear that this network of small abattoirs is an important asset for our rural communities. We have called for a £1 billion package to be added to the farming budget to support the agricultural sector. The Liberal Democrats also passed a motion at our spring conference this year that affirms our commitment to upholding the high animal welfare standards in British farming, including through support for small abattoirs.
We need long-term workforce planning, and a system that meets the needs of livestock producers and proactively works with stakeholders throughout the supply chain. If not, farming businesses and the supply chain will suffer.
Small abattoirs are a vital asset for our rural communities, they need support
