Latest News

Small abattoirs are critical to farming and meat businesses in the UK, survey finds

850 farmers and land managers across the UK responded to a survey carried out by the Sustainable Food Trust, Soil Association and Rare Breeds Survival Trust – which aimed to better understand the importance of small abattoirs for farming and meat businesses.

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FSA recommends retaining the Small Abattoir Discount

The future of the 47 remaining small abattoirs in England and Wales appears more secure following a significant decision by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board to recommend the retention of the Small Abattoirs Discount to the Defra Minister.

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Abattoir Sector Group shares a list of strategic actions for Government to support small abattoirs

Following a Westminster Hall debate about the merits of Government support for small abattoirs, the Sustainable Food Trust joined other steering group members of the Abattoir Sector Group in writing jointly to Minister Daniel Zeichner.

Read our letter to Daniel Zeichner

Abattoir Sector Group urges Government to continue work to support small abattoirs

The Abattoir Sector Group (ASG) has written to the new Farming Minister, Daniel Zeichner, highlighting the important and ongoing work to rebuild a thriving network of small abattoirs across the UK.

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Taken at Walter Smith butchers in the West Midlands. Credit to M. Kunz.

Progress on small abattoirs shared at Groundswell

At Groundswell 2024, our panel of small abattoir experts shared exciting news, inspiring stories and key asks for a new government for the small, local abattoir sector.

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£3m fund announced for new and mobile abattoirs

Defra is set to provide £3 million to support the creation of new and mobile abattoirs in England through the Farming Investment Fund, announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Farm to Fork Summit

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Abattoir Users Survey

Our latest Abattoir Users Survey was carried out between 5^thMarch and 25^thMarch 2025. The survey was carried out by the Sustainable Food Trust, Soil Association and Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with input from the Abattoir Sector Group, including National Craft Butchers and Pasture for Life.

The creation of this survey followed the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) call for evidence and subsequent discussions regarding the maintenance of the small abattoir discount on meat inspection charges. The results of this survey were presented to the FSA in April 2025. In June, the FSA acknowledged the importance of the small abattoir sector and the need for the discount to be maintained to ensure the survival of these businesses.

The survey received 850 responses from farmers and land managers right across the UK. It highlighted the crucial importance of a diverse network of abattoir services for the viability of many farming businesses.

58% of respondents believed their business would not be profitable without selling direct to consumers or through local markets – a model which depends heavily on private kill and further processing services offered by small and local abattoirs.
If access to a local abattoir improved, 27% said they could sell meat locally and 10% could employ more staff.
77% of respondents keep native breeds, including 37 breeds listed as ‘Priority’ or ‘At Risk’ by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust

Read the Press Release here.

Download the report

A Good Life and A Good Death

The Sustainable Food Trust 2018 report, A Good Life and A Good Death: Relocalising Farm Animal Slaughter found that the UK’s network of small local abattoirs is near collapse. The report sets out the reasons for these closures and states that, without urgent action, there will be a huge loss of consumer choice because the marketing of locally-produced, traceable meat will no longer be possible in many parts of the country.

The SFT called on the Government to:

Make a clear statement of support that it recognises the vital importance of smaller abattoirs, and make this a matter of practical policy across all government departments and agencies;
Work constructively with interested parties to make possible the use of mobile and small static red meat abattoirs for on-farm slaughtering;
Set up a task force with joint government, industry and consumer representation, to establish why small abattoirs are closing and propose innovative and practical solutions to ensure their survival.

Download the report

Local abattoirs play a vital role in all rural communities where farm animals are kept. When they close, both animals and meat have to be transported much further. This is bad for animal welfare and bad for the environment. It also threatens the ongoing renaissance of local food cultures. On my own organic farm, I have had to change abattoirs nine times over the last 30 years in order to keep our farm shop supplied with the meat from our own animals, as seven of those closest to me have closed and two became unsuitable for other reasons. I now have to take our animals almost 40 miles to get them slaughtered and it costs a great deal to get the carcases delivered back to our shop.

Richard Young

Abattoir Sector Group

Our Campaign for Local Abattoirs began in 2018 with National Craft Butchers and support from other organisations including the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and Pasture for Life. This contributed to an inquiry undertaken by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare whose 2020 report recommended the creation of an Abattoir Sector Group (ASG). We co-founded the ASG later that year and work closely with the other members of the steering group to provide a unified voice for the small and local abattoir sector, advising government on behalf of the industry.

Steering group members include:

Sustainable Food Trust
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare
National Craft Butchers
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Pasture for Life
AIMS
Fir Farm
M C Kelly Ltd

Join the ASG

The ASG is open to members who wish to support the aims and work of the group. Please get in touch or visit the website if you would like to find out more.

Abattoir Sector Group

Videos

Swan Song of the Local Abattoir

This film by Alexandra Genova tells the story of William Lloyd Williams, a charismatic Welshman who battled to keep his local meat purveyor business open for 40 years. Williams reared animals, slaughtered them and sold them in the butchers shop in Machynlleth, mid-Wales. Sadly, his business has since closed.

This film is a rare documentation of independent meat production through the eyes of a cattleman-cum-slaughterman, at one of the most crucial times in UK farming history.

The Future of UK Farming Conference, 2018

This session explored the importance of small abattoirs and on-farm slaughter, with speakers including Professor Tim Morris, Bob Kennard, John Mettrick, Robin Tuke, Natasha Jenkins and Paddy Hoare.

Oxford Real Farming Conference, 2020

Our session, Saving Small Abattoirs, features talks from Richard Young, Sustainable Food Trust, Christopher Price, Rare Breed Survival Trust, John Mettrick, National Craft Butchers, Callum Edge, Edge Butchers and Glen Portman, Food Standards Agency

Oxford Real Farming Conference, 2019

This session, chaired by Lady Parker of Fir Farm, featured talks by Nick Allen, British Meat Processors Association, John Mettrick, National Craft Butchers, Bob Kennard, Campaign for Local Abattoirs and Nick Palmer, Compassion in World Farming.

Oxford Real Farming Conference, 2018

In this session, Richard Young (SFT Policy Director), Bob Kennard (SFT Policy Advisor), Paddy Hoare (Fir Farm) and Phil Stocker (National Sheep Association), addressed the worrying decline in smaller abattoirs in the UK.