EU licensing rules will hit UK abattoirs hard
By Olivia Cooper
ABATTOIR NUMBERS could drop by as much as half when new EU licen<00AD>sing rules are introduced in 2006.
Norman Bagley, policy director of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, told delegates at Meat South-West”s annual general meeting in Taunton, Somerset, last week that over 120 plants were at risk of closure.
However, the new rules were no stricter than current ones, so a failure to renew these licenses would imply that the abattoirs were in serious breach of existing regulations, he said.
Poor advice from inexperienced vets was to blame for the current non-compliance, claimed Mr Bagley. Health and safety issues were not in question, but some plants apparently now needed major structural work, having been told for years to spend money on irrelevant areas, he said.
“If that is true, it would be devastating to DEFRA”s policy on regional and local production, and confirm my view that 100% veterinary supervision in abattoirs over the past few years has been a disastrous failure,” he added.
Mr Bagley wants the Food Standards Agency to phase in the improve<00AD>ments required, to allow these plants to budget for the changes. Assuming the licensing issues are resolved, he sees a promising future for smaller independent abattoirs and processors.
“Three years down the road we will see a much reduced number of very large abattoirs supplying the major retailers as rationalisation continues apace. This will free up the rest of the market to the medium and small sector.”
Growing demand for added-value contracts as farmers moved away from commodity markets would ensure ongoing trade for smaller aba<00AD>ttoirs, he added. “I think most of my members will be there to serve farmers for many years to come.”