Hi Smudger,
I currently have 40 ewes and lambed for the first time this spring. I went to Jaspers grading day before I sent some hoggets and slow growers last year and was really impressed with the athmosphere there and the way the sheep are killed. If I had to go through that I'd go to Jaspers. The sheep were calm approaching the area on a conveyor belt which held their legs still so they did not have to be herded into the area and then the people doing the deed were kind and to be honest I don't think the sheep knew anything about the whole process.
I sold an old ram to them in April at the same time as asking for a few smaller sheep to be butchered and returned (I'd run out of grass), I collected them a week later and the kill report said they were very plain (I'll do better next time, I'm learning my job). They condemned one reporting oedema and charged £5 for the kill but that was just the cost of a compationate death for me. Their butchery errs on the enthusiastic rather than skilled but its not that expensive. I asked for the pluck but it did not appear, I'll be more insistent next time. The meat is now in the freezer and tastes great (and its not entirely fat free so for "plain" read "perfect").
The staff are nothing but friendly, welcoming and efficient and no, I don't work for them I'm just very impressed with the service.
Topic: selling to an abbatoir (Read 2538 times)
