The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Survey shows supply chain ‘constricted’
Scottish producers who use private kill services in abattoirs have said the “constricted nature” of the network is limiting what they can process, with welfare concerns due to travel times, traceability and communication.
That was the response from around 40% of the producers who took part in the Scottish Small Producer Access to Abattoirs Report, conducted by the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) on behalf of the Small Producers’ Pilot Fund (SPPF) Steering Group and Food from Fife.
It comes as over the last 15 years there has been a steady decline in abattoir facilities across Scotland, with only 12 full and parttime facilities currently servicing the private kill sector in Scotland.
The survey also found limited access to butchery services affects the ability of producers to supply added-value product into local supply chains such as farm shops and direct deliveries.
According to the report, only half of the abattoirs consulted were operating near capacity.
Those operating at sub capacity may incur pressure on their financial viability due to lack of throughput.
Some small private, community and local authority facilities operate on the islands, solely serving the private kill market.
Demand, location, difficulty in employing and retaining a skilled workforce and operating structure are also key challenges to running viable abattoirs for private kill.
Fergus Younger of SAOS, who is also a member of the SPPF abattoir subgroup said: “Collaborative working – between producers, abattoirs and butchery operators is vital to addressing the challenges of servicing the private kill market.
“Improving coordination in throughput could not only improve the economics of existing facilities but could offer the producer a simpler route to access abattoir services.”
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “Small producers are a crucial lynchpin of our rural economy and it is vital that we improve their access to Scotland’s wider food supply chain. This will help bolster our food security whilst improving fairness for our small rural businesses.
“This report was funded through our Small Producer Pilot Fund which has been allocated £180,000 so far this year. This is an example of our ongoing efforts to help individual small producers increase their resilience, enhance their contribution to the rural economy and become more sustainable.”
SAOS has been working with Mull slaughterhouse to trial whether additional private kill co-ordination support could help producers secure better access and help the abattoir operate a more efficient business.
It has also been working with Munro’s of Dingwall to help fully understand the costs associated with servicing the private kill sector.
The full report is available at saos.coop/ whats-new/news/ abattoir-survey-results