Mobile Abattoirs

I think local abattoirs on the basis set out below could have a really positive impact in terms of local food developments. This story tells us:

Meat labelled “local” may have travelled hundreds of miles to be slaughtered, farmers and environmentalists have warned as they call for more efficient rules after Brexit.

The Sustainable Food Trust is one of several groups calling for the introduction of “mobile abattoirs” in the UK to improve animal welfare by reducing the distance they have to travel.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the organisation criticises the dwindling of red meat abattoirs from 1,900 in 1971 to 245 today, and blames EU red tape for stifling efforts to slaughter animals more locally.

Current rules mean official vets have to examine animals before they are slaughtered.

However, the SFT said improved technology means vets can now monitor welfare standards remotely using CCTV.

The letter is co-signed by a Gloucestershire farmer, Jane Parker, who is leading a consortium of local farmers pioneering a mobile abattoir able to process approximately six cattle and 75 sheep a week.

“Brexit presents an opportunity to create a system with less bureaucracy that would reduce costs and thereby sustain and strengthen smaller abattoirs, enabling consumers to choose locally-sourced, high-quality meat produced in their communities,” the signatories write.