TODAY: Oban meetings on Mull abattoir for mainland producers

The Argyll and Bute Agricultural Forum has organised two meetings at the National Farmers Union of Scotland’s (NFUS) offices at Oban Mart at 15.00 and 19.00 today – Friday 3rd June 2011. People are welcome to attend either.

The meeting is about the Mull abattoir for mainland producers interested in using it. Essentially, it is for those with an interest in locally produced meat being available locally and using local facilities.

The LORN group (Local Origins, Rural Network) call this ‘Pasture to Plate’.

They say: ‘We have all this meat on the hoof but little local meat eaten locally, whether by farmers, friends and neighbours, shops, markets, or restaurants.

‘One of the major issues is the logistics of getting the meat from Pasture to Plate.

‘There is a glimmer of hope in this becoming a little more viable with the regeneration of the Mull Slaughterhouse. A silver lining to the unpleasant cloud of the damaging fire they had last year is that the new renovations allow for better facilities to be included, potentially to service the needs of the mainland
consumers.

‘Argyll and Bute Agricultural Forum has organised the meetings today and with the intervention of Local Origins Rural Networks on behalf of the local island producers, there is now one at 3 pm to enable folks to return home by ferry. For those who cannot make the daytime there is another meeting at 7 pm.

‘These meetings will be at the NFU office at the Caledonian Mart, Oban, open to all livestock producers who may be interested in using the slaughterhouse on Mull.

‘The purpose of the meetings is to update local mainland prodicers on the progress of the rebuilding of the slaughterhouse and is our opportunity to put forward our requirements in terms of lairage, hanging, cutting, packing, labelling etc.

‘It is very short notice, but it would be good to have as many local farmers there as possible, to show that we are serious in our desire to get our stock from “pasture to plate”, whether it be via the producers market, private sales or for our own personal consumption and to show our commitment to supporting our local slaughterhouse.

‘Local Origins Rural Network are actively pursuing a project to explore ALL the issues involved in getting more local meat from Pasture to Plate:

• the problems for the farmers in our limited growing season
• the relative qualities of the different breeds
• the logistics of moving beasts
• the needs of the consumer in regards the cutting and packaging
• getting the meat back, sold to and eaten by awide variety of consumers in the whole LORN area.

‘If anyone cannot get to this meeting but would like to be involved or learn more about the Pasture to Plate project and generally getting more meat eaten locally please get in touch with Cath Thomson : LORN
Chair and Co-ordinator of LORN Livestock – Pasture to Plate Project
ny email at:  P2P@lorn.org.uk