Small abattoirs in South East face uncertain future as costs rise
The owner of one of the last remaining small abattoirs in the South East has said he is "incredibly concerned" about the future of the industry.Luke Smith, who runs Down Land Traditional Meats in Henfield, West Sussex, said without more financial support from the government his slaughterhouse may not survive. He said that would impact farmers who choose to supply butchers and farm shops, rather than supermarkets.The government said it is "committed to working with the meat processing sector in tackling the challenges they face".
The cost of disposing of animal waste has risen to £5,000 a week. "An ageing workforce is also a challenge" Mr Smith said, "the average age of a slaughterman is 63. Young people are not interested in coming in to the industry. "The abattoir is not viable and is making a loss. I'm running a wholesale butchery, that's what's keeping our business alive."We do need support and funding."
The number of abattoirs in the UK has fallen from about 2,500 in the 1970s to 203 by 2023.Smaller operations in England fell from 64 in 2019, to 49 in 2023, with five closing in 2024.Farmer Edward Perrett from Ditchling, West Sussex, uses Mr Smith's abattoir, selling the meat to customers in his farm shop."To have a short journey to an abattoir is good for animal welfare and it keeps the cost down" he said."If the abattoir closed down it would make life very difficult."
Mr Smith has the support of Arundel and South Downs Conservative MP Andrew Griffith.Mr Griffith said: "This is a vital, sometimes neglected part of our food supply chain. There is a real crisis here."The last government set up some grants but we need even more than that and crucially, less red tape."
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Small abattoirs make a vital contribution towards maintaining our resilient food supply chain and provide a competitive route to market for producers of rare and native breeds."We are investing £5 billion into farming, the largest ever budget for sustainable food production, and are unlocking rural growth with reforms to boost farmers' profits."
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