Several MPs spoke during the Westminster Hall debate of the vital role of small and medium-sized abattoirs in the supply chain and the urgent government support needed to address the sharp decline of the sector, which is threatening the future of many livestock farms.
The NFU has been working with MPs to tackle the issue including Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke, who tabled Thursday’s Westminster Hall debate on the potential merits of government support for small abattoirs.
She spoke of the vital role small and medium-sized abattoirs play in driving local economies, supporting national food security, helping the environment by reducing food miles and benefitting animal welfare by cutting travel time to slaughter.
Ms Dyke said: “The abattoir industry is at crisis point. In 2023, just 60 small abattoirs were left in the UK.
“Small abattoirs are closing at the alarming rate of 10% per year, and within a decade they may well disappear altogether.
“The remaining small abattoirs face immense and multifaceted challenges to keep their facilities open.”
She added: “The loss of these essential rural businesses poses major problems for local food infrastructure, animal welfare, biodiversity and food security.”
Ms Dyke also highlighted how farmers selling direct to pubs, restaurants and butchers rely on local small and medium sized abattoirs.
NFU West Sussex Chair Andrew Strong, who runs a pig farm near Haywards Heath, attended the debate.
He said: “Sarah Dyke spoke very well and was supported by several MPs from this area, which was good to see.
“The shortage of local abattoirs is a major issue for farmers in this area.
“People are travelling crazy distances to take animals for slaughter and this is not a sustainable situation.”
An NFU survey of livestock farmers in the East of England found 19% would stop keeping livestock and 14% would be forced to cease trading if this trend of abattoir closures continues.
The issue is having a similar impact across the country.
The NFU has found that abattoirs are reporting high levels of demand for their services and reasons for closures have included lack of labour availability, lack of available investment on infrastructure due to thin margins, increasing costs from waste disposal and red tape.
On top of current pressures, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced significant increases in charges for official controls, including inspections, on abattoirs.
The NFU and wider meat industry strongly oppose these charge rises.
The NFU is calling for:
- A government-led independent review into the FSA’s cost structures, workforce management, and use of contractors to identify areas for improvement.
- FSA charges to be based on the numbers of animals dealt with at each abattoir. This aligns with charging systems in EU member countries and ensures fairness.
- Increased use of technology, including AI-driven post-mortem inspection, real-time monitoring, and automation to reduce reliance on human inspectors and cut costs.
- Prioritising recruitment and training of directly employed vets and inspectors rather than outsourcing to private firms that have very high levels of staff turnover and profit from inefficiency.
- Implementing key performance indicators for FSA services to ensure that abattoirs receive value for moneyand are not penalised for delays or inefficiencies beyond their control
- Continuation of the Smaller Abattoir Fund, launched by the last government in 2023, where £4m in capital grants of between £2,000 and £60,000 was made available and for any underspend from the previous scheme to be used to directly address shortages in the South and South East.
During the Westminster Hall debate Food Security and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner said discussions with the FSA about structuring discounts for smaller abattoirs are ongoing.
He said: “The government will continue to engage with the sector on those wider priorities, concerns and opportunities, and we will use some of the well-established forums on finding practical solutions to the priority challenges they have identified, and to support our shared ambition for future resilience and growth.”
He added: “We have been working closely with the industry, and the FSA in looking at how we can reduce regulatory and administrative burdens.
“We must get the right balance because, clearly, we need to make sure that the proper standards are maintained, but also that the regulation is appropriate and proportionate.
“Actions have been taken, and will continue to be taken, including the introduction of the reduced administration initiative, which aims to remove certain daily administrative tasks for food business operators, and the FSA escalation process, which is designed to help abattoirs quickly raise and resolve operational issues. “
Mr Strong said: “I am pleased this issue is now firmly on the agenda and this is a positive start, but we need this to lead to further action to address this urgent issue, with a round-table MPs’ meeting the next step, leading to firm commitments from the government.
“I urge people to write to their MPs and to continue to raise this vital issue.”