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The total throughput of animals for all the slaughterhouses
during 1969 was 116,100, a slight increase on the previous year's
figures:
For this meat inspection service the Council make a charge
as follows:-
Cattle and Horses 2/6d. each
Calves and Pigs 9d. each
Sheep and Goats 6d. each
The total income from this source during the year was
£4,904. 10s. 6d.
The Order made by the Council in 1966 controlling the hours
of slaughter at all slaughterhouses within the Borough, namely
from 8 a.m. — 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. — 12 noon on
Saturday was confirmed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food to come into effect in August 1968 in respect of one
slaughterhouse and in November 1968 in respect of two of the
other slaughterhouses.
It was soon apparent that these controlled hours were not in
favour with the slaughterhouse occupiers and the occupier of one
slaughterhouse continually made applications to be enabled to
slaughter lambs on Sundays for continental orders and for evening
extensions in order to meet demands from shipping agents. The
occupier of another slaughterhouse made continual appeals to the
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to be able to slaughter
on Sundays and the Minister eventually varied the Order relating
to this particular slaughterhouse so as to extend the hours of
slaughtering to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
The occupiers of all three large slaughterhouses were still
very discontented and made repeated appeals to the Council and
the Ministry for the hours to be extended alleging that their
throughput was being severely curtailed.
There was also a certain amount of friction and the cooperation
between the occupiers and the Inspectors began to
deteriorate. In this connection two unsuccessful prosecutions
were made regarding slaughtering after permitted hours and in
another instance recourse had to be made to the rather lengthy
procedure of obtaining an order from a Justice of the Peace in
order to condemn two carcases.
During September 1969 official consultations were commenced
with the occupiers of the slaughterhouse to determine the
hours that would be acceptable and at the same time to ensure
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