Demand sees expansion for Mull slaughterhouse

This spring will see the start of a new livestock pick-up service being tried out by Mull Slaughterhouse & Butchery, collecting animals directly from farms across the Inner Hebrides and West Highland mainland.

The trial, funded through the Scottish Government’s Small Producers Fund, means producers on the likes of Coll, Tiree and Colonsay, as well as mainland areas stretching towards Fort William, will be able to cut down on having to make their own journeys to Mull, which in turn will save farmers time, and reduce the carbon footprint of livestock transport across the region, says Flora Corbett who is Chairperson of Mull Slaughterhouse & Butchery.

She says the growing demand they are getting from beyond the island made the new service the next ’natural’ step, despite its island location, around 70 per cent of the slaughterhouse’s business already comes from off Mull.

The business, rebuilt after a fire in 2009, already employs five staff and works a weekly slaughter day, with lairage available for animals arriving the day before. Processed meat is transported back to customers via a cold carrier based in Oban or collected directly.

"A lot of people assume it’s just for Mull, but we’re here for anyone," said Flora.

Processing around 140 cattle, 700 sheep and 200 pigs, as well as a growing number of goats and red deer each year, the facility’s slaughter and butchery service is all under one roof. Farmers can also specify exactly how each animal is butchered.

The spring launch of the collection service comes at the same time as solar panels are being fitted. The panels are expected to generate enough electricity to cut the site’s energy bills - its second largest operating cost after wages. The savings will free up funds for more improvements, says Flora.

"The restaurants, the hotels, the food economy of the whole island, they all depend on having somewhere local to process. The slaughterhouse sits at the heart of it all - everything that makes this island’s food economy special, flows from here and we’re looking forward to seeing what comes next. This isn’t just about farming," Flora added.

Julie Comins, a sheep and goat farmer from Aberlour, currently drives over 150 miles every fortnight just to get to the slaughterhouse on Mull and can not wait to use the new pick-up service saying that the facility "genuinely feels like a small business that is working for you" where "nothing is too much trouble."

Jenny McKerr, who worked with Mull Slaughterhouse & Butchery in her former role as Quality Meat Scotland’s Private Slaughter Co-ordinator says small abattoirs like Mull are "absolutely critical to keeping local, high-quality food production alive in Scotland - especially for island and remote producers."

"Flora has done an incredible job managing the abattoir and making it work in a challenging environment, and that kind of commitment is what keeps these vital bits of infrastructure going. If we want to support small producers, protect animal welfare, and maintain Scotland’s strong food provenance, we need practical, joined-up solutions, like this collection service, rolled out more widely," added Jenny.