This week, East Sussex and Kent MPs met with Mark Spencer MP, Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries, following the closure of the last remaining abattoir in East Sussex.

The abattoir in Heathfield closed in January, leaving up to 500 farmers without provision for meat slaughter. This left farmers deeply concerned about the impact of this closure on their businesses and animal welfare. With the nearest alternatives in Ashford and Essex, the longer journey times to travel to an abattoir are having impacts on farmers' time, transport costs, and animal welfare.

MPs were informed that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), have funding opportunities available for farmers who would like to open a new abattoir themselves, under the Farming Investment Fund. A suitable new site would have to be found, with planning permission granted, and a business plan would need to be presented to Defra.

The potential for mobile abattoir provision was raised during the meeting, but MPs were told that this option is impractical as storage is required for the produced meat. For example, beef has to hang for up to 28 days before it is butchered.

The MPs are now calling for farmers with an interest in pursuing a new abattoir to come forward with ideas for Defra.

After the meeting, Huw Merriman, MP for the Bexhill and Battle constituency, said:

“We were very pleased to sit down with the Minister and discuss plans to help support local farmers who have been impacted by the closure of the abattoir.”

“It was encouraging to hear that Defra have funding available to farmers who wish to open their own abattoir facility. This is a real opportunity for a group of farmers locally to come together in the community and establish the facilities they require.”

“The Minister assured us that Defra would be on hand to offer guidance and assistance to those farmers who are interested and would visit any potential options.”