There are several factors driving this decline, including labor shortages due to Brexit, rising operational costs, and burdensome bureaucracy. While the meat industry may lament these closures, animal advocates should view them as a victory for compassion and ethical consumption. Smaller, independent slaughterhouses are disappearing at a rapid rate, replaced by larger, industrialized facilities that prioritize efficiency over animal welfare.
The closure of these smaller abattoirs is significant because they often had more humane practices and closer connections to the local farming community. In contrast, the remaining mega-slaughterhouses treat animals as mere commodities, subjecting them to inhumane conditions and suffering on an industrial scale. By reducing the number of these facilities, we are taking an important step towards a more ethical and sustainable food system.
So without a concomitant reduction in meat production this sounds like a bad thing? More animals being slaughtered in worse conditions.