Campaign for Local Abattoirs
Campaign for Local Abattoirs – Newsletter
Defra Working Group
The working group established by Defra, which includes FSA officials, to look into problems facing small abattoirs and find possible solutions met again in September. Several strands of work are being moved forward by the group with further updates and outcomes to follow in due course.
21st Century Abattoir
On the 9th and 10th October our campaign member and President of National Craft Butchers John Mettrick attended the 21st Century Abattoir ‘sandpit’ convened by a research group from the University of Manchester set up to explore new technologies and data management in abattoirs to improve food safety and animal welfare. Universities from all over the country were brought together with business operators and government (FSA). Some proposals included using x-rays, scanners, or infra-red technology as possible ways to save costs on post-mortem inspection.
Meat Matters at Abergavenny Food Festival
One of our campaign members and policy advisors, Bob Kennard, joined a recent panel discussion at Abergavenny Food Festival called ‘A Good Life & A Good Death – Meat Matters’. With Maresa Bessano (a vegan) and Jane Bissett, a sheep farmer from south Wales, the panel was hosted by Sarah Dickins of BBC Wales. Bob explained the importance of local fully traceable meat and smaller local abattoirs.
Meat – A Taxing Issue?
Sustainable Food Trust Policy Director Richard Young, representing the Campaign for Local Abattoirs, successfully set out the arguments against a meat tax at a debate organised by the Food Ethics Council earlier this year. The jury rejected the idea of a tax on all meat, recognising that the issues are more complex than is generally realised and that a tax could make things worse rather than better. Click here to read more.
Prince’s Countryside Fund Support
We would like to thank the Prince’s Countryside Fund for their continued support of small abattoirs. In August the Fund awarded a grant to help protect the slaughterhouse on the isle of Mull. Managed by a committed team of volunteers, Mull Slaughter House is a community benefit society that has been in operation for four decades. The facility employs five people and provides an essential service to local food producers in Argyll & Bute and the Highlands and Islands.
HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, has long spoken of the importance of retaining island facilities and small to medium abattoirs.
Future Policy
The government’s National Food Strategy consultation is coming to a close on 25th October. This consultation provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of abattoirs and of sustainable, local meat for healthy diets and a resilient local food system. We will be submitting a response on behalf of the Campaign for Local Abattoirs but encourage others to respond as well. The Agriculture Bill is also under discussion again and below you can find a link to our response to the original consultation as well as our briefing paper, circulated last year. The Conservative Party also recently unveiled plans to ban the transport of animals on long journeys to slaughter, requiring farmers to use the nearest abattoir. Of course, such a proposal would require a strong and prospering network of local abattoirs across the UK. A consultation on this will be issued in due course.
Food Standards Agency
The role of the Food Standards Agency is to ensure that food is safe and what it says it is, with the public having confidence in the products they purchase and consume.
The Agency focuses on public health and driving standards, whilst supporting industry in meeting these and improving upon them.
The Agency also works with its partners across government and industry on labelling, traceability and animal welfare.
The food.gov.uk website contains useful information in relation to all queries from starting up a business to reporting an incident.
The Agency has several helplines for consumers, industry and interested parties to contact it.
General enquiry helpline: 02072 768829
Reporting food crime: 02072 768787
Food Standards Wales: 02990 417700
A key element of the work carried out by the Agency centres upon meat production managed across three regions within its operational activities.
The regional heads manage their areas and act as account managers with multi-site businesses nationally.
They are also looking to build wider links with small abattoir owners to understand the challenges faced with running a small abattoir and seeing how together we can improve things.
If you have any issues, concerns or ideas the regional heads would love to hear from you:
Glen Portman (Wales and West of England): glen.portman@food.gov.uk
Martin Buxcey (East of England): martin.buxcey@food.gov.uk
Rob Locker (North of England): robert.locker@food.gov.uk
Advice and Support for Abattoirs
Regulations will come into force on 14th December 2019 regarding electrical stunning equipment capable able to record voltage (not necessary for captive bolt). If your stunning equipment does not already record the relevant information, then you can either purchase a recorder that is compatible with your stunner for between £400-£500, or, if your stunners have a visible display record, you can use CCTV to record the figure. It is therefore not necessary to spend £4-£5K on new kit if you can do either of the suggested alternatives, as these are acceptable to the FSA and FSS.
If your plant is below 1000 LSUs or <5% of the total kill for a species then the following could apply. The main areas that could help in the operation of small abattoirs are delayed PMI up to 24 hrs, Official auxiliaries (OAs) allowed to do PMI without Veterinary presence, and AMI to take place on farm (holding) rather than the abattoir.
Call for Volunteers
We need small abattoirs who are willing to volunteer to take part in a trial of flexibilities in the regulations for small plants and to have your SORs reviewed, both of which could ultimately benefit your business. If you would like to take part or find out more please contact John Mettrick: john@mettricksbutchers.com
Meeting in the North
Regional meetings are now being organised in partnership with the FSA for all small abattoirs to attend. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss with the Food Standards Agency and others any problems abattoirs may be facing and explore ways we might be able to improve things for smaller abattoirs. The next meeting will be on 30th October in Chesterfield from 16:30 – 18:30. If you would like to attend and for information about the venue please email megan@sustainablefoodtrust.org
Visit: www.localabattoirs.com
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