Food security at risk as Britain’s abattoirs hit ‘critical low’
The UK’s food, farming, environmental and animal welfare sectors are calling for the Government to recognise local slaughter capacity as essential food and economic infrastructure
News and business reporter
19 October 2026 • 3 min read
Britain has lost more than nine in ten of its abattoirs since the 1970s, leaving farmers without vital local slaughter facilities and putting British food production, rural businesses and animal welfare increasingly at risk.
That is the message from a new coalition – made up of more than 150 organisations, businesses and individuals from across the UK’s food, farming, environmental and animal welfare sectors – which is calling for urgent government action as UK abattoir numbers fall from around 2,500 to just 200.
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Consequences felt by farmers
A 2025 survey of 850 farmers and land managers found that two-thirds had experienced difficulty accessing suitable abattoir services, while one-third had seen an abattoir they used close.
If their current abattoir closed, 43% said they would no longer be able to sell meat locally and almost three in ten said they might have to close their meat business altogether. Nearly six in ten said their business would not be profitable without direct or local selling.
Anna Zielicka-Hardy from Rette Farm in East Sussex, had to send her sheep a considerable distance after her local abattoir closed. Even then, she was faced with a waiting list of around two months.
Animal welfare
After a long and unfamiliar journey, the sheep arrived frightened and reluctant to leave the back of the trailer. Ms Zielicka-Hardy swore not to make the journey again.
“There is such a disconnect between the good life our animals have and the ending of it,” she said.
“It is not right that the farmer should have to choose, there must be a better way for us and our animals.”
The coalition warns that without urgent intervention, further closures will undermine the Government’s ambitions for food security, economic growth and a thriving British farming sector.
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Essential infrastructure
In a joint letter signed by the coalition, including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Sir Roger Daltrey and Clarkson Farm’s Charlie Ireland, the Government is being urged to recognise local slaughter capacity as essential food and economic infrastructure and take urgent action to secure a sustainable network across the UK.
“You cannot have British meat without the infrastructure to process it,” said Christopher Price, chair of the Abattoir Sector Group, behind the letter.
“Government talks about food security, backing British farmers and delivering growth across the country. But every time a local abattoir closes, farmers lose another route to market, animals may have to travel further, and another piece of Britain’s food infrastructure disappears.”
The loss of local facilities can also undermine native breed production, conservation grazing and nature friendly farming.
Mr Price says the industry is at tipping point.
“We need smarter, proportionate and genuinely riskbased regulation that maintains high standards without driving viable local businesses out of existence.
“Government needs to act before more of this essential infrastructure is lost.”
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Government asks
The coalition is calling on the Prime Minister to bring together Defra and the Treasury, alongside the devolved governments and relevant public bodies, to work with industry to secure a sustainable network of local and regional abattoirs.
It is asking governments across the UK to:
- Recognise local slaughter capacity as essential infrastructure, ensuring it is considered alongside transport, energy and skills in economic planning.
- Urgently review regulation and charging, including Official Veterinarian costs, inspection arrangements, regulatory thresholds and opportunities for digitalisation.
- Establish targeted funding for local abattoirs and feasibility work, enabling local areas to identify gaps and develop investable proposals, including co-operatives, mobile facilities and public-private partnerships.
The coalition also includes all 10 National Parks in England, the National Trust, NFU, Soil Association, Wildlife Trusts, Sustainable Food Trust and Compassion in World Farming.
Source: https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4537283/food-security-risk-britains-abattoirs-hit-critical-low