Abattoir Support Changes Must Go Further

Proposed changes to the financial support system for abattoirs are welcome but must go further to support more small and medium sized abattoirs, Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has urged the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

RBST welcomes proposed changes to the current discount system applied to FSA meat inspection charges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, set out in an FSA consultation (closing 12^th June 2026). The current scheme provides varying levels of discount to abattoirs on official control charges, with smaller abattoirs receiving proportionately greater support. The FSA is proposing to replace the current banded discount system with a new throughput-based model using livestock units LSUs or animal numbers to determine eligibility and levels of support. RBST agrees that throughput is a more transparent and predictable basis for determining eligibility for financial support.

The proposed revised model would continue maximum support for the smallest abattoirs while introducing a tapered reduction in support above a lower threshold; and removing all automatic support above a second threshold (5,000 LSUs).

RBST has advised that this threshold should be set higher at 10,000 LSUs to ensure most small and medium sized abattoirs are able to benefit from this important support, and to more appropriately reflect the scale at which businesses are genuinely able to absorb regulatory costs without disproportionate impact.

Rare Breeds Survival Trust Chief Executive Christopher Price said: “A thriving network of small, local abattoirs, capable of handling low volumes and a diverse range of breeds, is fundamental to a sustainable and resilient livestock sector. These businesses face significant regulatory and operational pressures, and RBST supports a reform of the current discount system that maintains strong support for smaller abattoirs. However the proposed threshold of 5,000 LSUs for removal of all automatic support is too low and will abruptly cut this important support from many small and medium-sized abattoirs. A higher threshold of 10,000 LSUs would create a more sensible taper and enable more small and medium sized abattoirs to benefit from the system.”

In June 2025, RBST welcomed the FSA decision to retain discounts on official controls charges for smaller abattoirs, following the FSA’s 2024 Call for Evidence in relation to its charging structure for Official Controls (OC) in abattoirs.