Hygiene costs put a further nail in knackermens coffin
Hygiene costs put a further nail in knackermens coffin
EXTRA costs stemming from new hygiene rules for knacker yards are just another nail in the coffin for the UKs knackering industry, it was claimed this week.
And if the knackermen go out of business, the NFU says there is a danger of more casualty stock being buried on farm, which in turn could have environmental repercussions.
MAFF says that knacker yards which produce pet food will have to meet requirements to keep raw materials separate from the finished product to prevent the spread of pathogens. All knackers yards will be brought under veterinary supervision and licensed by government.
Bob Lawton, chairman of the Licensed Animal Slaughterers and Salvage Association, said the knackering industry hardly had a future. It was already facing higher charges from renderers for the disposal of waste because of governments decision to axe the rendering subsidy.
End of the line
Mr Lawton, whose family have run one of the UKs 96 knacker yards since 1878, said: "We have just been told that our renderer is upping charges from £47.50/t to £55/t from Oct 1." The value of hides had also diminished and demand for meat-based pet food had dropped. He believed the combination of problems meant many knacker yards had reached the end of the line.
Chris Peeler, NFU spokesman, said that if the knackering industry collapsed, farmers would lose a major outlet for their casualty stock. With the future of hunts also under threat, he said fallen stock would be buried on farms. Although that is currently acceptable under MAFF guidelines, the government is believed to be unhappy about the policy and has promised a review.
The rendering industry, however, backed the hygiene clampdown on knacker yards. It has maintained the EU beef export ban would not be lifted until the UK stopped using knackermen to dispose of fallen stock. No other European country had a knackering industry.n