Abattoirs and meat processors that take livestock from UK farmers
A short, hand-checked list of processors that buy finished stock, small abattoirs that kill for farmers, and the official lists to find the rest. It is not a ranking and it does not show prices.
This page lists 13 abattoirs, processors and official lists for UK livestock farmers. Each entry was checked against its own website or an official page. The most useful tip: ring the abattoir before you book transport, and ask what paperwork, tags and cleanliness standard it needs, because every plant sets its own.
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How do I sell finished cattle or lambs to a processor?
Ring the processor's livestock buyer first and ask what it needs before you pick a kill date.
Some plants are open to any farmer. Dunbia lists separate beef and lamb buyers by region and runs an online portal for supplying farms. Others work through a closed group. Dovecote Park says every supplier must be in its producer group, with cattle under 30 months old and at least 90 days on a farm-assured holding. Euro Quality Lambs has no supplier page, so start with its Contact Us page.
Questions worth asking on the first call:
- Which weights, fat levels and ages do you want?
- Do you need farm assurance, and for how long before sale?
- What is your standard for clean animals?
- Do you collect, or do I deliver?
- When and how do you pay?
If you do not yet have a buyer, a livestock market is the other route for finished stock, and a haulier can move it. Our 30-month slaughter spec guide covers older cattle.
What paperwork travels with animals going to slaughter?
Three things travel with every animal: food chain information, the movement record, and the identity documents. Which exact forms you need depends on the species and on which nation you farm in.
Food chain information, usually called FCI, is a record from your holding to the slaughterhouse. GOV.UK says a slaughterhouse must not take animals in unless it has asked for the record and received it. The Food Standards Agency publishes standard forms for each species, and plants such as Dunbia put their own copies online.
Cattle need their passport and matching tags. Mounfield's abattoir page says each animal needs a passport, two matching ear tags and a completed FCI form. After slaughter, GOV.UK says the death is reported to BCMS within seven days and the passport goes back to BCMS. See reporting a cattle death.
Sheep and goats going to slaughter still count as a reportable movement, though the standstill rule does not apply. Pigs are reported in eAML2 in England. Our guides cover sheep and pig movements.
What is the difference between a processor and a small abattoir?
A processor buys your animals and sells the meat on. A small abattoir often kills your animals for a fee, so you can sell the meat yourself.
With a processor you sell on its terms: its weight range, its grid, its assurance rules and its collection days. That suits finished stock in numbers, but a single animal may not be wanted.
A small abattoir is the usual route for direct sales. Mounfield's page says it kills for its own shop, other butchers and farmers, and can cut meat to your order. John M Munro in Dingwall runs a private kill form for every species. Quality Meat Scotland's list has a private kill column for each Scottish site. In a private kill you normally keep the carcase and meat, but confirm that with the plant.
Small abattoirs are getting scarce. The Sustainable Food Trust says the network has fallen from about 2,500 sites to about 200, so book early. Munro's page says to book well ahead for November. Check the plant's tag, paperwork and species limits first: Munro refuses pigs over 140 kg live weight.
To check a plant is approved, use the FSA list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What are the casualty and emergency slaughter rules?
A casualty animal is injured or unwell but can still travel. An emergency slaughter animal is otherwise healthy but cannot travel after an accident. The paperwork differs, so decide which you have before you phone anyone. Our casualty and emergency slaughter paperwork guide goes through it step by step.
The England trading standards guide, Business Companion, sets out what you must have ready:
- Ring the slaughterhouse first. It does not have to accept casualty animals.
- A food chain information declaration, completed by the owner, travels with a live casualty.
- For emergency slaughter on farm, a vet must examine the animal, and the owner and vet complete a declaration for the Official Veterinarian.
- Cattle need a valid passport. Sheep and goats need their movement record.
Only the stomach and intestines may be removed on farm, under the vet's supervision. If more than two hours will pass before the carcase reaches the slaughterhouse, it must travel refrigerated or in suitable conditions.
Some cattle also need a BSE sample after emergency slaughter. GOV.UK sets the age at over 48 months for cattle born in most EU states, and over 24 months for those born elsewhere. An animal that cannot go into the food chain is fallen stock instead: see fallen stock disposal rules.
What happens if an animal is inside its withdrawal period?
Do not send it. The withdrawal period is the time that must pass after the last dose before the animal can go into the food chain. Keep it back until the date is clear, and ask your vet if you are unsure.
The Red Tractor animal medicines standard says withdrawal periods must be correct and followed. It also says treated animals must stay identifiable for the whole period, and that your records show the treatment end date and the date the animal is fit for human consumption. Those records must be kept for five years.
The same dates feed the paperwork. Business Companion says a casualty FCI declaration lists medicines and treatments from the last six months, with dates and withdrawal periods. Red Tractor says animals sold farm to farm during a withdrawal period must travel with a withdrawal period declaration.
The practical fix is simple. Mark treated animals in the yard, and check the dates in your medicine book before you book the lorry. Our guides on withdrawal periods, the medicine book and the five-year record rule cover the detail.
What do slaughter spec and deadweight grids mean?
A slaughter spec is the list of what a buyer will pay full rate for. A deadweight grid is the table that shows what you are paid once the carcase has been weighed and graded. Ask for both in writing.
Deadweight means you are paid on the carcase, not the live animal. AHDB explains that payment is usually on cold weight, which is the hot weight less a standard 2% chilling allowance.
The grid scores two things. Conformation is shape, graded from E at the top to P at the bottom. Fat is scored from 1, very lean, to 5, very fat. Premiums go to carcases in the favoured block, and deductions grow as quality falls.
For lambs, AHDB gives a standard deadweight band of 12 to 21.5 kg, and says most processors set an upper limit of 21 or 22 kg. Lambs outside the range are usually penalised, sometimes heavily. Its market guide shows supermarket, butcher and export buyers wanting different weights.
Clean animals matter too. Dunbia's cattle policy rejects or clips dirty hides, and the farmer pays for clipping. Cattle over 30 months are covered in our spec guide.
What do farmers actually ask?
What is food chain information and who fills it in?
Food chain information, or FCI, is a record about the animals that goes from your holding to the slaughterhouse. GOV.UK says the slaughterhouse must not take animals in unless it has asked for it and received it. Your holding supplies it. The Food Standards Agency publishes standard forms for cattle, sheep, pigs and other species, and many plants put them on their websites.
Can I send an animal to slaughter during its withdrawal period?
No. Hold the animal back until the withdrawal period has passed. Red Tractor says periods must be followed and treated animals must stay identifiable, and your medicine book should show the date the animal is fit for human consumption. If you are unsure, ask your vet before you book transport. The abattoir relies on your declaration, so the dates must be right.
Does an abattoir have to accept a casualty animal?
No. The England trading standards guide says a slaughterhouse has no obligation to accept casualty animals, so ring first. If the animal is fit to travel, it goes with a food chain information declaration. If it cannot travel, a vet must examine it before emergency slaughter on farm, and the owner and vet complete a declaration that goes with the carcase.
How do I find an abattoir near me?
Start with the official lists. The FSA approved establishments list covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Quality Meat Scotland publishes a list of Scottish private slaughter abattoirs. The Sustainable Food Trust campaign page is useful background. Then ask your vet, your local mart and neighbouring farmers, and phone to confirm species, tags and booking times.
What is a private kill?
Private kill is a service where an abattoir slaughters your animals for a fee, so you can sell the meat yourself. Abattoir pages such as Mounfield's and Munro's describe it, and Quality Meat Scotland's list shows which Scottish sites offer it. You normally keep the carcase and meat, but check this with the plant, and ask what tags, paperwork and species limits apply.
What happens to a cattle passport when cattle are slaughtered?
The slaughterhouse reports the deaths to BCMS and returns the passports within seven days, counting from the day after slaughter, according to GOV.UK. You make sure the right passport travels with each animal. Errors should be reported to BCMS in writing as soon as you find them, with the holding number and ear tag numbers.
Sources
- FSA: Food chain information, guidance for slaughterhouses (GOV.UK)
- FSA: Approved food establishments (GOV.UK)
- GOV.UK: Report and record the deaths of cattle at slaughter
- GOV.UK: Moving sheep and goats, what keepers need to know
- GOV.UK: Moving pigs, what keepers need to know
- GOV.UK: BSE
- Business Companion: Casualty slaughter for farmers and hauliers
- Red Tractor: Animal medicines standards
- AHDB: Understanding lamb deadweight and liveweight pricing
- AHDB: Using the EUROP grid in beef carcase classification
- AHDB: Target the right lamb market
- Sustainable Food Trust: Local Abattoirs