Author Topic: newbie abbatoir question (Read 6042 times)

Robb · « **on:** February 17, 2020, 02:11:42 pm »

I posting this in pigs particularly but interested in how it applies to animals generally.

I am starting my own smallholding in suffolk and increasingly it seems that access to abbatoirs isincreasingly hard to access.

Does anyone know if this is the case? Or just my perception of things?

I a in mid suffolk and I think at the moment my nearest is norfolk already over an hour away.

I have read on the forum about importance ofchecking out slaughter attangements when starting up rather than near the end, but is this a situation likely to make rearing small numbers of animals not cost effective?

Thanks
Rob

harmony · « **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2020, 02:24:17 pm »

There was a time when abattoirs were closing at an alarming rate. I'm not sure that trend is continuing. I think the reference to checking out arrangements well before slaughter is not just about where your local one is based but generally planning and being prepared in terms of what you require and having an outlet etc.

I guess the bottom line is if we don't use our abattoirs we will lose them. Especially the smaller ones. How many people are lucky to have one on their doorstop....or maybe unlucky!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2020, 08:57:21 pm »

It's been the trend for decades now. It might get easier after Brexit if some of the legislation gets unwound. But somehow I doubt it.

I expect most people in the countryside have to travel 40-50 minutes to an abattoir. Some a lot more. Orkney now has to use Shetland or Aberdeen

If your smallholding is a business, you might need to factor in needing an animal transport license for trips over 30 miles or so.

Robb · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2020, 07:49:26 am »

71 km so another task to complete!! Thanks for mentioning this, thats very helpful to know, so many new tasks to learn.

Again, never sure whether I am a business though. Not enough for any tax benefits it seems. I was just intending to rear couple of pigs and sheep for myself and friends to eat, but will end up having friends pay me and might like to sell at the door sort of ting if that is possible.

Rob

harmony · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2020, 10:48:35 am »

Technically you can only eat animals you rear yourself. Supplying other people makes you a business and brings in a whole raft of stuff you need to comply with. No reason why friends/family can't collect from the butcher/abattoir direct. No you can't sell at the door.

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2020, 11:12:34 am »

an hour drive to an abbattoir is quite reasonable, it does add to the cost and time etc.

My experience of keeping livestock is purely lifestyle. If you shop wisely in Aldi etc. its far cheaper than buying in or breeding stock and rearing them. That being said, the quality of animals you rear yourself is usually much better than supermarket and knowing they were raised well makes a lot of difference.

Robb · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2020, 10:42:32 pm »

Hi bj_cardiff
so for you the animals are all efectively pets then? Thats kind of interesting, I had thought folk would see me as non serious if i took hat line and was sqeamish about slaughter etc. Hadnt realised.
So - do you and others have may be pigs or sheep and then keep them many years without breeding from them either? How expensive does that become if they dont yield any income?
I must admit what you suggest is quite interesting.
Rob

bj_cardiff · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2020, 04:06:10 pm »

I have sheep which I breed for lambs which are sold and raise weaners for the freezer.

The sheep do make a profit, however it really isn't much at all and if you break it down to a weekly wage after you have paid for their yearly costs its maybe £25 a week.

Pigs are different, I find that they cost more for me to buy and raise than their value in meat, but I enjoy having them and enjoy the pork they produce.

I wouldn't class my livestock as pets, as I wouldn't keep an old ewe that was no longer suitable for breeding and I wouldn't keep a pet pig either.

Selling lambs that you have raised - that are destined for the table, or taking pigs for slaughter is never easy and it is always a bit of a sad day. You just have to come to terms with it, the payment for lambs is always needed and having a freezer full of your own produced pork is pretty amazing.

PK · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2020, 09:28:50 pm »

Quote

There was a time when abattoirs were closing at an alarming rate. I'm not sure that trend is continuing.

It is a continuing trend when it comes to small abattoirs which smallholders are more likely to use. In 2017 there were only 249 abattoirs in the UK, and only 56 which could be rated as small, rather than larger meat processing plants. A third of small abattoirs closed between 2007 and 2017. It is not just problems with regulation but the costs of waste disposal which are proportionally heavier for small abattoirs.
Norfolk and Suffolk have experienced recent closures so I understand Rob’s concerns.

harmony · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2020, 09:03:26 am »

Quote from: PK on February 19, 2020, 09:28:50 pm

Quote
There was a time when abattoirs were closing at an alarming rate. I'm not sure that trend is continuing.

It is a continuing trend when it comes to small abattoirs which smallholders are more likely to use. In 2017 there were only 249 abattoirs in the UK, and only 56 which could be rated as small, rather than larger meat processing plants. A third of small abattoirs closed between 2007 and 2017. It is not just problems with regulation but the costs of waste disposal which are proportionally heavier for small abattoirs.
Norfolk and Suffolk have experienced recent closures so I understand Rob’s concerns.

I didn't not appreciate Robb's concerns, I questioned if the closing rate was still as alarming. Most people don't have a choice between large or small and go with their nearest I would have thought. I'm really lucky as I have two well within an hour and both are small but I know some people have much longer journeys.

harmony · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2020, 09:12:08 am »

Quote from: Robb on February 18, 2020, 10:42:32 pm

Hi bj_cardiff
so for you the animals are all efectively pets then? Thats kind of interesting, I had thought folk would see me as non serious if i took hat line and was sqeamish about slaughter etc. Hadnt realised.
So - do you and others have may be pigs or sheep and then keep them many years without breeding from them either? How expensive does that become if they dont yield any income?
I must admit what you suggest is quite interesting.
Rob

You are taking "pets" as a simple term. Most people on here are small scale producers putting food in their freezer and selling surplus stock. For some they want a living from their land and for others it is something they enjoy alongside another income stream but they want provenance with the food they eat. And there are some who do keep animals with no intention of eating them and that definitely requires deep pockets but maybe their sheep keep the grass down and the pigs dig the veggie plot!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2020, 10:03:53 am »

This thread is morphing into whether our livestock are pets or not, which is a fascinating subject (that I for one would love to explore further), so in fairness to the OP, maybe we ought to start a new thread for that.

ETA I have started a new thread for the pets/not pets discussion linky