Abattoir move hits cattle men
Abattoir move hits cattle men
By Alistair Driver
UK cattle farmers face animal welfare problems, increased transport costs and a New Year backlog in getting cattle to abattoirs, following the Intervention Boards decision to reduce the number of abattoirs involved in the Over Thirty Month Scheme from 29 to 21, the NFU is claiming.
Farmers in East Anglia, the north-east, south-west and north Wales will be the most affected by the move, which has seen just 15 existing OTMS abattoirs awarded contracts. Five new applicants were successful, while the Orkney Island abattoir will continue to operate under a separate contract arrangement. Forty companies submitted tenders.
Union vice-president Tony Pexton was due to meet the IBs George Trevelyan this week to urge him to reconsider the move, while NFU president Ben Gill raised the issue with farm minister Nick Brown last Friday.
But despite this pressure, an IB spokeswoman told Farmers Weekly there were no plans to review the new contracts, which come into effect from January 4, 2000, and will run for at least 12 months.
"We take the view of the NFU very seriously, but the contracts were awarded after a rigorous tendering process, which followed strict criteria," she said.
Combined weekly capacity will remain broadly the same, 15,700 head/week against 15,880 head/week, according to the IB. It says it has ensured the abattoirs are well located, with an emphasis on the main production areas, so that travelling times for animals going to slaughter will not increase substantially.
"Producers will continue to have access to the scheme through the network of 170 markets registered with the IB as liveweight collection centres," said the IB.
But, with some farmers now facing distances of up to 150 miles to transport OTMS cattle following the failure of local abattoirs to renew contracts, NFU livestock adviser Carol Lloyd said animal welfare problems and increased transport costs will result.
"The change will come at the worst possible time because of the backlog that always builds up over the Christmas period. We would like the IB to extend the existing OTMS abattoir contracts to ease the backlog," she said.
Liberal Democrat farm spokesman Colin Breed predicted waiting lists of up to five months following the failure to secure an OTMS contract of the West Devon Meats abattoir, where he said there is already a seven week waiting list. Both alternative abattoirs are 100 miles away, he said.
Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall Paul Tyler has written to Nick Brown urging him to review the decision as a matter of urgency.
"The animal welfare implications are horrendous, and the EU Commission will be appalled," he wrote.