NPA sets out case for ‘essential’ support of small abattoirs
The NPA has set out the case for how small and medium-sized abattoirs should be supported under Defra’s new funding scheme.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer announced in February that Defra would be developing a Smaller Abattoir Fund. Small abattoirs have been in decline for many years, and, in the past few days, news has emerged of a local Cumbrian plant that has been forced to close. The loss of these local abattoirs is making it increasingly hard for farmers to find outlets for their stock.
Mr Spencer said: “If farming is to flourish then we need to get the fundamentals right – abattoirs are key to the food supply chain and there is clearly a need to support smaller providers in this area.”
Defra has been seeking the views of industry bodies on how the fund should look and, in its response, put together with guidance from the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), the NPA stresses that small- to medium-sized abattoirs are vital to the pig industry in providing alternative markets to the larger processors.
They also provide additional capacity in the event of breakdowns and general delays in slaughter capacity at times of acute pressure, as experienced during the pig backlog.
“Therefore, support for this specific sector of the industry is essential to protect animal health and welfare, and never more so as the slaughtering and processing sector continues to consolidate resulting in pigs being transported ever greater distances for slaughter,” the response states.
by Alistair Driver | Pig World
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