Glossop abattoir closes after 100 years
Mettrick’s abattoir in Glossop, Derbyshire will close after over 100 years, with campaigners calling the news ‘extremely worrying’ for local farmers.
The abattoir is run by brothers John and Steven Mettrick, the fifth generation since the business was founded. Around 200 farmers rely on it for slaughtering.
The numbers of small abattoirs in the UK has declined dramatically in recent decades and continues to shrink by about 10% each year, according to Food Standards Agency (FSA) figures.
Campaigners say small abattoirs, essential for economic and practical reasons to supply locally-produced meat, are facing a wide range of challenges and extra costs.
The Mettrick’s cutting and packaging facility will remain open, but local farmers wishing to continue using their services will incur the additional costs of longer journeys and transporting carcases from a larger abattoir to the Glossop facility.
John Mettrick said the refusal from the UK government to utilise existing legislation to support small abattoirs meant that the business had no choice but to close.
Farming UK
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