There is interest in the potential for providing meat to consumers that can be demonstrated to be local and traceable. With the recent closure of abattoir facilities in rural areas of Scotland there are concerns that animals are travelling further for slaughter and that we are increasingly losing the potential for private kill with the impact this has on being able to market the provenance of meat. There are also the issues and opportunities associated with crofters and smallholders, in having affordable opportunities for the slaughter of animals in a more local setting.
In addition, there are significant questions to be answered in terms of the business models that will make the operation of mobile abattoirs a viable, ongoing concern.
We are keen to gather feedback and opinions from the crofting, smallholding community in particular, and the wider industry generally, to understand the issues and opportunities in more detail, in order to develop practical solutions. Brian Menzies, of Enscape Consulting commented:
“The crofting, smallholding and farming community play an important role in providing locally sourced, high quality meat, but we are also aware of the challenges that are faced by the sector overall. We are keen to discuss not only the issues, but potential ideas on how to make mobile abattoirs work. If you are part of this community and have views on this, or are potentially interested in utilising a mobile abattoir, we ask you to get in touch for an informal discussion, and/or to complete a survey. At this stage, we are looking at the extent of the demand for mobile abattoirs in Scotland, rather than any firm commitments”.
This work is reviewing Scottish, rUK and international practice, potential technology, operating options, costs, biosecurity and regulatory requirements for compliance. We are speaking to various parts of the supply chain to understand views, levels of interest, issues and opportunities as well as how mobile abattoirs could potentially impact on the viability of existing infrastructure.
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