“It’s great to hear that construction at Brechin is well underway and on track to be completed by the end of this year,” said Scottish government cabinet secretary for rural affairs, food and the environment Richard Lochhead.
“The aftermath of the closure of Halls of Broxburn was a difficult time for our pig industry, so I’m glad to see the new plant taking shape as it heralds a bright future for the Scottish pig supply chain. Scottish farms produce around £81M of pig meat a year for processing, and the Scottish government is actively supporting pig farming and the Specially Selected Pork brand.
Specially Selected Pork
“I am confident that our recent decision to invest £2.7M in this project will, in time, increase the size of the Scottish pig herd, add more value right here in Scotland and increase the volume of Specially Selected Pork going into the marketplace.”
Current plans for the abattoir were announced in October last year and are the product of collaboration between Scotlean Pigs, Scottish Pig Producers and leading pork processor Tulip, a subsidiary of Danish Crown.
The joint venture created QPL, a new entity which took over ownership of the site, which is managed on a day-to-day basis by Tulip.
More than £10M has been invested in the plant, the expansion of which is designed to double production there from 4,000 to 8,000 pigs a week. Developments include a new slaughter line, chilled and lorry washing facilities. In addition to Specially Selected Pork, the site also produces Red Tractor Pork.
The facility would ensure Scotland had sufficient capacity for all pigs born there to be slaughtered there, said QPL.