February 16, 2024

16/02/24 Small abattoir closure, farm training courses

13 minutes

Another small abattoir has announced it’s to close its doors for good. McIntyre Meats in Bainbridge in the Yorkshire Dales has been working with local farmers for the last 23 years and is just the latest small abattoir to decide to call it a day.

Between 2018 and 2022 the number of small abattoirs processing red meat dropped by a quarter according to DEFRA. Right now in the Cotswolds, a group of farmers are trying to raise three million pounds to save Long Compton Abattoir from closure by buying it themselves.

Why does it matter? Well, if you like to buy your meat local, direct from the farm or from a farmers market, the livestock your beef or sausages comes from will most likely have been slaughtered and possibly butchered at a small abattoir.

Graham Bottley produces Mutton from his flock of Swaledale sheep in the Yorkshire Dales, and until now, has been using McIntyre Meats regularly

We are looking into the business side of farming this week, now for most non-farming companies or organisations, training, appraisal and continuing professional development is the norm. But if you’re a small family farm business, already dealing with rising costs, increasing paperwork, as well as the unpredictability of markets and weather, training courses can come a long way down the priority list.

Ernie Richards is a shepherd from Hay on Wye and he argues that taking time out for training courses off the farm is an important investment. Mariclare Carey-Jones has been to meet him.

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By BBC Radio 4