Several MPs spoke during a recent Westminster Hall debate which illustrated the vital role of small and medium-sized abattoirs in the meat supply chain - and the sharp decline which is, in turn, threatening the future of many livestock farms.

They heard the sector is at "crisis point", with small abattoirs closing at a rate of 10pc per year, with just 60 remaining in the UK in 2023.

Breckland farmer Graham Shadrack, the Norfolk chairman for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), has been working with livestock, mainly pigs, for more than 50 years.

He welcomed the parliamentary debate, but said government........

© Eastern Daily Press