Farmers who require ‘non-public kill’ companies in Scotland, and the abattoirs offering them, face quite a lot of challenges and hurdles, a brand new report has concluded.
A survey of Scottish producers who utilise non-public kill companies is included within the report, in addition to interviews with representatives from Scottish abattoirs offering non-public kill companies.
Key suggestions emerged from the outputs of the survey, which the trade hopes may tackle the vulnerability of personal kill companies throughout Scotland.
Round 40% of farmer respondents mentioned the constricted nature of the non-public kill abattoir community restricted what they may course of.
Welfare issues as a consequence of journey occasions, traceability, and communication, had been additionally highlighted as points.
The survey discovered that restricted entry to butchery companies impacts the power of producers to provide added-value product into native provide chains.
The report was performed by the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) on behalf of the Small Producers’ Pilot Fund Steering Group.
It discovered that endeavor non-public kill was not the principle focus for many of the mainland abattoir services and so they typically discovered it difficult to service this market.
Demand, location, issue in using and retaining a talented workforce, and working construction had been additionally key challenges to operating viable abattoirs for personal kill.
Responding to the findings, SAOS’s Fergus Youthful mentioned that collaborative working – between producers, abattoirs, and butchery operators – was very important to addressing the challenges of servicing the non-public kill market.
He mentioned: “Enhancing co-ordination in throughput couldn’t solely enhance the economics of present services however may provide the producer an easier path to entry abattoir companies.
“The steering group is eager that help be centered on the areas of biggest want and enhance the choices for producers seeking to utilise these services.”
Scotland’s Agriculture Minister, Jim Fairlie, mentioned an evaluation of the analysis’s information was now underway which the Scottish authorities would use to tell future choices.
“Small producers are an important lynchpin of our rural economic system and it is important that we enhance their entry to Scotland’s wider meals provide chain.
“It will assist bolster our meals safety while bettering equity for our small rural companies.”
Following the report, SAOS has been working with Mull slaughterhouse, based mostly on the Isle of Mull, to trial whether or not extra non-public kill co-ordination help may assist producers safe higher entry and assist the abattoir function a extra environment friendly enterprise.
Equally, SAOS has been working with Munro’s of Dingwall to assist to grasp the prices related to servicing the non-public kill sector.
