THE building of a new abattoir in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is set to play a key role in taking locally produced meat to a wider market.

The creation of the site at McIntyre Meat, in Bainbridge, was aided by a £260,000 Government grant - the largest payment of its type made to a Yorkshire project.

Redevelopment of the facility will potentially enable farmers to sell their meat to national buyers, as well as providing vital support for local sales.

The original, smaller abattoir could only offer meat for home consumption, but its new services will radically alter the potential for sales through local butchers and farmers' markets.

The new plant, which is able to process organic and non-organic animals, will play a vital part in a fledgling producer club - Wensleydale Fine Foods - which is based around the nearby Hawes Auction Mart and its customers.

It will increase the marketability of local meat, according to owner Martin McIntyre.

"Traceability of the meat is a key aspect. Our computer system is capable of telling us where any animal came from, when it arrived, and where the meat was sold on to," he said.

"The original plant was attached to the house and we couldn't expand it in any direction. The choice was to build a completely new plant or go and work for someone else.

"Local farmers were calling out for someone who could process their stock in this area. We're the only abattoir for 50 miles, so we began looking at what farmers wanted and how best to provide it."

David Stirling, of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "A key aim of the processing and marketing grant is to help farmers to meet the changing needs of the market, to develop new outlets for agricultural products and to fund facilities which will help them to do this.

"This is the largest individual grant we've made in Yorkshire and that reflects the important role which this abattoir will play in helping farmers in North Yorkshire get their produce to the consumer."