A top-level ministerial visit to Fir Farm, Lower Swell took place last week to discuss the benefits of mobile abattoirs, attended by Lord Benyon and Minister Prentis from DEFRA, and local MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.  Joined by the head of the Food Standards Agency and senior civil servants to discuss all the regulations surrounding small and mobile abattoirs.

Lady Parker the owner of Fir Farm has recently purchased a mobile abattoir to significantly increase her sustainable farming operation. Fir Farm is run on the principles of organic and sustainable farming. Portable abattoirs have huge potential animal welfare benefits, slaughtering cattle, sheep, and pigs close to where they are raised and reducing potentially hundreds of miles of unnecessary and distressing travel for the animals.  

However, the regulation surrounding mobile abattoirs is currently highly complex and uncertain due to the transition between EU to UK law and that is why this very senior group of people came on site to try to simplify the regulations so that the use of these abattoirs is not hindered.  For example, at the moment it would require a separate licence for every different location that it would operate in.  

Commenting Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said:  

“It was a pleasure to have this very high powered delegation into the constituency to consider the regulations around mobile abattoirs. This could have potentially huge benefits for Cotswolds farmers and well beyond. I will be following this closely in Parliament”.