Could mobile slaughterhouses fill small abattoir gaps?
Mobile abattoirs may help farms hit by the rapid loss of small abattoirs over the last few years.
There are now fewer than 100 small abattoirs, those slaughtering fewer than 1,000 animals a year, according to the Sustainable Food Trust, with four closing in 2019 and another six believed to be under threat.
Higher costs, more regulation and the very low hide and skin prices have driven slaughterhouse closures.
One region affected by abattoir closure is the Cotswolds.
That prompted Paddy Hoare of Fir Farm, Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, to develop a mobile abattoir.
The farm has a mission to be as sustainable as possible and rears Hereford cattle, Wiltshire Horn sheep and Saddleback pigs, selling its meat locally and online.
He said: “We have been working closely with the Food Standards Agency to ensure any system is fully compliant with all welfare, waste and safety regulations.
“They have been supportive and constructive, recognising the need for a mobile service.”
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