Britain's abattoirs hit critical low putting UK food security at dire risk, warns coalition

Groups including the CLA are calling for urgent Government action, as UK abattoir numbers fall from around 2,500 to just 200.

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.

The consequences are already being 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.

A coalition of farmers, food, hospitality, animal welfare and conservation groups is now warning that without urgent intervention, further closures will undermine the Government's ambitions for food security, economic growth and a thriving British farming sector.

In a joint letter signed by over 150 organisations, businesses and individuals, 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.

The coalition includes the CLA, all 10 national parks in England, The National Trust, The Soil Association, The Wildlife Trusts, The Sustainable Food Trust and Compassion in World Farming.

Christopher Price, Chair of the Abattoir Sector Group, said: “We are now at a tipping point. We need smarter, proportionate and genuinely risk-based 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.”

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:

1. Recognise local slaughter capacity as essential infrastructure, ensuring it is considered alongside transport, energy and skills in economic planning.

2. Urgently review regulation and charging, including Official Veterinarian costs, inspection arrangements, regulatory thresholds and opportunities for digitalisation.

3. 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.