Government support to smaller business farmers needs to be more "meaningful", says National Sheep Association

It says this is frequently leading to the end of such businesses and that small abattoirs are especially at risk from a lack of Government support, the NSA has warned.

It comes as the 100-year-old Mettrick’s abattoir on the South Yorkshire border closed last month ending five generations of family business.

The butcher at the helm, John Mettrick, who ironically champions the fight to save small abattoirs in his other roles, saying increasing regulations, red-tape and inexperienced vets have created a situation causing staff to become demoralised and leave.

He was forced to shut up shop in Glossop after his fully qualified slaughterman along with two fully qualified butchers left.

In turn it was feared that the closure of this small, independent business would have an impact on farming businesses who rely on using local and smaller abattoirs as they are financially more accessible.

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “Although newly announced energy support packages will have come as welcome relief for many, the Government must realise the ongoing severity of the situation, especially within the small abattoir sector.

"During the period between 2019 and 2021 the sector has seen the closure of 14 abattoirs and already this year we have seen more added to that list.

"The largest 24 meat processing plants control 85 per cent of the throughput. As an industry, there is a desperate need to support small and medium sized businesses to ensure that there is capacity and a service for rural locations at a time when interest in localising supply chains is growing.”

The Government Food Strategy, published in June, outlined a range of aspirations to improve the food systems within the UK, but Mr Stocker argues that the infrastructure is not there.

Some of the measures were to put through an additional 10,000 visas for seasonal workers in the UK in order to provide labour for food businesses; put up £5m for a school cooking revolution to improve school food and for it to be more prominent within the curriculum and to promote the domestic growth and trend for horticulture and sea-food.

He explained: “As outlined in the Government’s Food Strategy, it is a key component that healthy and sustainable food should be sourced as locally as possible, yet the capacity to do this is escaping communities quicker than government policy can be enacted.

NSA urges the Government to support and incentivise the investment in our own supply chain infrastructure before it is too late. It is disappointing to see the disconnect in government farming schemes often incentivising diversification and local sourcing yet there is little to no action in maintaining the means to deliver these outcomes.”