A family farm shop has spoken out about the lack of available Food Standards Agency (FSA) vets which has prevented them from reopening a small slaughterhouse on site to meet rising meat demand.
Mr Partridge from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, gave up slaughtering animals onsite after Christmas 2019 following the 'hassle' of using FSA foreign vets, and opted for an 80 mile round trip to the nearest slaughterhouse to process his animals for the shop.
Yet, with the spreading of the virus and an increased demand in red meat from consumers, he had hoped to reopen his slaughtering facility for one-two days a week to ease the pressure on the supply chain and ensure meat availability for his customers.
However, after poor communication from the FSA, he was told he needed to give ‘at least six weeks noticed' and ‘move the isolation pen' by the agency if he wanted to resume slaughtering, despite the facility deemed fit for operation until it closed in 2019.
He said: "It is ridiculous. We could all be dead by then.
"With the slaughterhouse supplying McDonalds and other food services shut, there must be FSA vets out there without any work - they cannot all be self-isolating."
FG has approached FSA for a comment.
