The Smaller Abattoir Fund has recently launched to provide grants to smaller red meat and poultry abattoirs in England.

The launch of the fund sends a positive message that the Government recognises small abattoirs are an important part of the food supply chain. This fund will be a crucial step in securing the future of the sector and is part of wider efforts to address the many pressures causing small abattoirs to close.

Megan Perry, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Sustainable Food Trust, said: “Small abattoirs are the cornerstone of local meat supply chains, supporting farmers, local meat businesses and providing the critical infrastructure to make a nationwide transition to sustainable farming systems viable. There has been a catastrophic decline in small abattoirs, with businesses closing at a rate of 10% per year. This has caused havoc for farming and local meat businesses and has resulted in animals travelling increasingly long distances to slaughter. This fund is crucial to achieving this and we thank all those involved with bringing it about.”

The £4 million Smaller Abattoir Fund will provide grants for FSA approved red meat and poultry abattoirs, including mobile abattoirs, in England that slaughter up to 10,000 livestock units per annum for red meat abattoirs or up to 500,000 poultry birds (based on 2022 throughput data).

The grants will be for eligible capital items and investment projects with the aim of:
• Improving productivity
• Enhancing animal health and welfare
• Adding value to primary products
• Encouraging the introduction of innovative approaches and the use of new technologies

Jimmy Woodrow, Executive Director of Pasture for Life said: “Farmers across the country who are making efforts to farm with nature face mounting challenges when it comes to accessing small to medium-sized abattoirs. While this new fund, recently announced by the Goverment, does not provide all the answers, it’s important the farming and processing sector come together to use the money to best effect. By doing this, we will be demonstrating a determination to tackle this problem and unlock future and more impactful solutions from government. Failure to do so risks further government inaction.”

The Abattoir Sector Group will support Government and industry to share the details of this fund as widely as possible and will be available to answer questions or direct people to the relevant support should they need advice about their application.

Full details of the Smaller Abattoir Fund can be found here.

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