Why should members of the public care about abattoirs?

The answer begins with the fact that we all want a cared-for, living countryside. This in turn means that we need a thriving farming sector. So we should support local farm outlets and markets where farmers are selling their own produce to the public. Why?

• We help enterprising farmers to make a better living. Buying directly cuts out the middleman and increase farm profits.
  
  
• We know where the products come from and can rely on their quality and freshness. Overseas sources, by comparison, often have substandard welfare conditions.
  
  
• Animal movements, distribution costs and the use of packaging and fuel are minimised.
  
  
• Farmers' markets help to re-invigorate town centres and bring town and country together.

However, EU legislation has greatly reduced the number of abattoirs because of the requirements for veterinary and other inspectors. As a result, abattoirs can only survive if they have a large throughput. This suits the supermarkets, but it makes it hard for a small producer who may want to put two or three animals a week for slaughter and who must be able to recover the carcases of his or her beasts.

In the South East Region, which has a population of approx 7.78 million (15.3% of England total), there are about 9,801 livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs) holdings, employing 25,707, with 5 large abattoirs (over 30,000 units per aannum), 2 medium (1,000-30,000 units per annum) and 4 small-sized (less than 1,000 units per annum – one is being built in the New Forest). At present the only abattoir (medium-sized) in Hampshire that will deal with such numbers, as well as the mass market, is located in Farnborough. The owner is trying to relocate, to improve the premises, to Aldershot to a more 'rural' location and which CPRE Hampshire supports. New facilities are desperately needed as the existing abattoir has outgrown its current site, and they will provide improved/expanded hanging cold storage and lairage facilities.

A successful relocation will remove the constant uncertainty that farmers feel for the current abattoir operation – stability is a highly prized commodity in an industry that is just emerging from 7 years of recession, but faces the vagaries of the Common Agriculture Policy Reform in 2005.

CPRE Hampshire strongly supports Local Abattoirs.

May 2004