Rural Innovation Support Service
status: Active
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Mobile Abattoir in Scotland

Researching the feasibility of creating a Mobile Abattoir to meet the demand for local slaughter houses in Scotland

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Field Lab Timeline

    5/17/2018 11:00:00 PM

  • 1st Group Meeting

    1st Group Meeting
    • 7/30/2018 11:00:00 PM

  • 2nd Group Meeting

    2nd Group Meeting
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  • Discussion

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  • Achievements

    September 2018

    2nd Group meeting

    On the 2nd group meeting, general discussions have been on lack of access to abattoir provision, but the challenges to running one of your own. The group is trying to get better access to existing facilities. Fergus provided an update on the small producer group in Gloucestershire co-ordinated by Paddy Hoare. The model they are working on has a regional cross - farm focus. They have a considerable level of private investment and sufficient throughput to ensure sustainability. Fergus will continue to liaise with Paddy and update the LAWG as new information arises.

    The group visited Stagison, located on Downfield Farm in Cupar. Stagison operates a venison processing plant which offers on site private meat processing for deer, sheep and goats and a private butchery service currently processing cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and both wild and farmed deer. A lot about their operations has been learned. Following discussions and learning from the morning’s site visit, the group identified ABP as a local abattoir facility that may consider an approach from the group to discuss a potential partnership model. A wider discussion followed on how the group might evolve depending on the response from ABP. Various models of membership were discussed. It was also recognised as important to look at provision for organic livestock.

    A potential solution is still to be confirmed – at the moment, provision of a coordination service to the Perthshire large abattoir seems to be the best option for farmers around Perthshire/Stirlingshire/Fife area. The idea to pursue a mobile abattoir to provide services to the Northeast of Scotland is still being explored. Fergus is to meet with Paddy Hoare again about the English mobile abattoir solution and will try and link this with the NE grouping.

    Next group meeting still to be confirmed.

    Milestone: 2nd Group Meeting

    August 2018

    Update

    At their first meeting in May, the group had a visit from a Canadian mobile abattoir company and discussed that their aim is access to slaughter for small scale producers with on-site butcheries, which may or may not be a mobile abattoir. Since that meeting, the group has asked the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers to confirm whether or not small scale producers can use their facilities; they are in touch with a mobile abattoir project in England by Pardix in association with the Sustainable Food Trust, who are well advanced in terms of regulation and also had a parliamentary delegation to Westminster; and they are also in discussions with the Scottish and Irish Abattoir Association.

    The second group meeting had been postponed and is now expected to take place by the end of August.

    Milestone: 1st Group Meeting

    May 2018

    1st group meeting

    The initial group meeting was held on 18th May between Fergus Younger (facilitator) and a group of farmers with on farm butcheries. After introductions and a discussion of the group objectives, those were the follow up actions agreed:

    1. Gather additional information on the small producer group led by Fir Farm in Gloucestershire; how is it progressing and how the group can we learn from their experience. Fergus will discuss further and look at possible meeting between group and Paddy Hoare - the Fir Farm group coordinator.

    2.Identify the key decision makers in FSS and consider meeting to outline issues and possible solutions once the group have had time to develop these. Find out what they say is possible.

    3.Map out demand with regard to mobile versus fixed processing and include this as part of a possible future larger scale desk research on each regional kill requirement.

    4.Gather information on the progress of proposed abattoir in Forfar.

    5.Present group to continue as informal working group and share email addresses.

    6.Try to get position statements from big plants on access for small producers – Bridge of Allan, Perth and new Inverurie one.

    The following link provides and useful background to the approach in England (please copy and paste in your browser):

    http://sustainablefoodtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Re-localising-farm-animal-slaughter.pdf

    Next group meeting to be confirmed - aimed for July 2018.

    Milestone: 1st Group Meeting

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