The government has today (Wednesday 13 December) launched the £4
million Smaller Abattoir Fund to boost the sustainability and
efficiency of red meat and poultry smaller abattoirs across
England.
The smaller abattoir sector has an important role in maintaining
British food security and ensures a competitive route to market
is available to farmers, especially those who supply local
butchers and farm shops, for a wide range of meat products. They
make it easier for farmers to get their products to market,
protect animal welfare by maintaining reduced journey times to
slaughter, provide a route to market for farmers who rear rare
and native breeds, and offer wider social and economic benefits
to rural communities.
The Smaller Abattoir Fund will award capital grants from £2,000
up to a maximum of £60,000 to help support smaller abattoirs
across England improve productivity, enhance animal health and
welfare, add value to primary products, and encourage innovation
and investment in new technologies.
It will support the purchase of a diverse range of capital
investments, including items such as cold storage units which can
expand refrigeration capacity for processing, allowing abattoirs
to increase production rates and help remove the waiting times
experienced by many farmers for getting stock processed.
The Fund also drives forward the government’s commitment to
advancing animal health and welfare standards, including funding
to improve facilities for stressed or fatigued animals to recover
from loading and transport operations.
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will email all eligible smaller
abattoirs directly within the coming days, outlining the
application process.
Farming Minister said:
England’s abattoirs are critical to livestock farmers who provide
their high-quality products to local butchers and farm shops up
and down the country.
This £4 million fund will not only help smaller abattoir and
mobile business owners to innovate, invest and improve standards,
but it will give farmers, particularly those who produce native
and rare breeds, more stability in getting their products to
market.
Today’s announcement delivers on key commitments made on Back British Farming
Day in September to identify opportunities to remove
unnecessary burdens for smaller abattoirs, support farmers in
reaching local and international markets, and ensure that farmers
are being paid a fair price for their products.
It also builds on government efforts to increase fairness in
the supply chain as set out at the Farm to Fork Summit earlier
this year, with new regulations for the dairy and
pig sectors to be introduced next year, a consultation on
the egg sector currently live and a consultation on horticulture
supply chains launching shortly.
John Mettrick, Chair of the Abattoir Sector Group
said:
I am delighted that the Smaller Abattoir Fund has launched. This
demonstrates that the government recognises the importance of
small abattoirs to farmers, butchers, and the whole rural supply
chain.
This fund has been developed by Defra, the Food Standards Agency,
the Abattoir Sector Group and the meat industry working together,
and I would urge abattoir businesses to take advantage of the
fund to help develop their businesses for the future.
Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency
said:
The Food Standards Agency recognises the challenges faced by
small abattoirs and has collaborated with Defra on the
development of the Smaller Abattoir Fund.
We are keen to support the use of the fund to improve efficiency,
productivity, animal welfare and innovation in this greatly
valued and important sector.
The application window for the Smaller Abattoir Fund will remain
open for nine months and abattoirs will be able to submit up to
three applications up to the maximum funding level of £60,000. A
diverse list of capital investments has been developed in close
consultation with industry stakeholders - recognising the bespoke
nature of abattoirs, this list is not definitive and additional
investments may be eligible if applicants can evidence that the
item demonstrates compliance with at least one of the Fund’s
aims.
