[lachlanandmarcus]

We pay £14 for killing costs and £35 for butchery.  However it all comes back vac packed and labelled and keeps us legal as we are regularly inspected by environmental health.  Expensive yes but worry free!

Blimey how do you make a profit with kill and cut nearly £50?!

Ours is similar with the only place that does private kills, the answer is you don't really, unless you do your own butchery.

[mmu]

Since our 2 local abattoirs merged into one they are very reluctant to take animals in unless they are Farm Assured  and preferably in large numbers.  We always used to take them in and our butcher picked them up.  The last ones we had done we were told would be just that.  the next nearest one is a couple of hours away, and I hear they've gone the same way, plus it's a long way for our local butcher to collect (more expense) and if you get a local( to them ) butcher, you have to go and collect, yet more expense, and you're not really legally supposed to carry raw meat unless you have a refrigerated vehicle.  I would like to become farm assured so we could not only get ours killed for our own use, but sell direct to the abattoir, thus avoiding the need for the trip to the mart. Don't know what the criteria is, and doubt we'd be big enough to qualify.  Must go - washing sheep for Turriff!

[lachlanandmarcus]

You're ok with ice boxes and thermometer to check temp before an after apparently.


We use Millers at Grantown, not cheap but at least they do private kills. But it's a hell of a journey over the Lecht at 5am in icy January, as it was one time we went (and then the Landy gearbox went a bit wrong on the way :-OO).


I think there should be regulation not just to enforce welfare standards but also regulation and support to ensure every local community of a decent size has an abbatoir, and in return the abbatoir has to take private kills as well as commercial ones.

[17AndCounting]

Ours will be around £30/lamb for kill and cut, might be a bit more depending on the boxing/packing etc. Ours charges £2 extra for adult sheep I think.

Husband has been offering lamb to friends/family and seems to be quoting £70-80 for a half lamb.

[MKay]

For me it is- £16 killing with an additional £5 if you want the skin back then 80p per kg dead weight for butchering regardless ofhow simply or dedetailed you want the cut, simple bagging and boxing and £6 per carcass delivery(its 90miles).

Sales is £15kg, but normally I do mixed beef,pork,hogget at £18kg. I have a waiting list all year round and could sell more if I was inclined to increase my output.

[Auld Cairnallochy]

At the beginning of July I booked in pigs at Millers of Speyside, I received a phone call to say they were done and the charge would be £40 per pig ( they were under 95kg) The price on the web site was and still is £24 per pig.
The question is are they allowed to charge more than the quoted web site price without notification of the rise when they are booked in?

[MKay]

Technical rubbish could win out but the simple question is, if you cause them grief will they tell you not to come back? If they do, how far is your next SH?

I have to put up with mis-charging, spray paint on skins, forgetting to keep skin/horns, not sending all the meat back. All within a 12m period.
Because I live in Caithness and dingwall is my nearest SH at 90miles, and if I was told "don't like it , don't come back" I would be looking at coming all the way down your neck of the woods to get my killings done.

Its shiit but sometimes you have to look at your own options and take it on the chin.