§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards small abattoirs; [137247]
(2) how many slaughterhouse premises have closed in the last 12 months; and what effect this has had on increasing journey times of livestock to slaughter within the United Kingdom. [137269]
§ Mr. BradshawSlaughtering of livestock for human consumption is a commercial activity provided in response to the market, and livestock producers are free to choose which abattoirs to use. According to information provided by The Food Standards Agency, 25 red meat abattoirs had their licences terminated in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months.
The Government support the robust enforcement of rules protecting animal welfare during transport. However, they do not attempt to manage the sector in a dirigiste way, including the numbers and locations of abattoirs.
As part of the wider Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, we are working with industry to help secure a network of abattoirs and meat cutting plants including small enterprises. As part of our work, we are finalising data on the structure of the sector and this should help in the further development of strategic policies. We are already encouraging the use of investment grants within the England Rural Development Programme to help improve industry structure, processing and marketing. In addition, we are committing significant resources to the Red Meat Industry Forum and are actively participating in its work to improve the competitiveness of the red meat supply chain.