[Eeyore77]

Hello
I dropped off this years lambs at Scotbeef in Inverurie this morning and while doing the paperwork the slaughterman said that when they start up the new unit in 2019 they will stop doing lambs/sheep altogether.
I had a look to see what other abbatoirs are still open for private kills as I called Portlethen and Brechin earlier this year and neither do private or sheep respectively. Dunblane appears to have closed, as is St Andrews and rhinds in Elgin. Grantown on Spey stopped private kills a couple of years ago I think.
Does anyone have any suggestions for 2019?
I'm in southern Aberdeenshire and I've used chapmans in shotts who were good, but it was a long distance from Aberdeenshire. Dingwall would be about 175 miles from us. I'll have less than a dozen to go each year.

Thank you.

[sabrina]

We use Dingwall and I am Banff.

[bj_cardiff]

No advice to offer I'm afraid apart from - wow.. How come so many have closed down or don't do private kills? I hope that trend doesn't spread to wales, I have 3 within 20 miles and I'm not sure how I'd cope if they closed or stopped doing small numbers of animals..

[Scotsdumpy]

This is why we have stopped killing our own animals. We sent our last steer to Dingwall. They were very good as they will butcher for you. They also met us nearer home to collect the meat. I have heard, but can't confirm, that they were stopping private kills too.

we now send all our animals to the mart for someone else to enjoy. Such a shame.

[Rosemary]

Downfield at Cupar does sheep. Not exactly on your doorstep but very good.
Abattoir provision in Scotland is reaching crisis point.

[Eeyore77]

Thank you Everyone.
Hi Rosemary, Cupar is only another 15 or so miles away vs Inverurie, so isn’t too much further so I’ll give them a call in the week and discuss. It’s still closer than the central belt for us, and looks like they butcher too, so that’s another thing less to consider. Thank you.
From what I understand the abattoirs that haven’t closed down are trying to become more efficient by taking in more animals to process, taking 5s and 10s for small holders can’t make much for them vs truck after truck turning up and dropping off hundreds of animals. I understand a couple of north east places each produce a large proportion of stock for single very large customers.
I’ve also found it tricky to get butchers. Butchers local to us aren’t interested or want a lot for the cut. One said they wanted £3 per kg to take it through their doors and it’d be extra to do anything with it, such as cut it....I’ve found one, who said he’d be interested in doing it again next year but that was on the proviso of picking up from Inverurie, however he was almost twice the price of last years butcher who had stopped in the meantime.

That’s a shame about Dingwall if if stops private kills. I read the abattoir in Orkney has gone too.

Hi scotsdumpy, I sold some at the mart last year and it was very disheartening.

Thanks.

[oor wullie]

Grantown on Spey still does private kills (I had pigs there a fortnight ago) but unfortunately not sheep - I assume they found sheep to be uneconomical.

I wouldn't be surprised if any more abbitoirs close in the North that it would trigger a rise in black market home killed meat!