MORE than 200 organisations representing food, farming, rural, wildlife and conservation interests have jointly written to Mr Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, calling on him to adopt the recommendations of a task force he established.

The report by the meat inspections task force, which Mr Brown set up in March to consider the method of charging abattoirs and cutting plants for meat inspection, dubbed the charging system punitive and called for a change from hourly rate charges to a fixed headage.

Mr Simon Brennan, development director at the Soil Association, said, "On current trends, the smaller abattoir sector will disappear within the next year or so. This would severely restrict consumer choice, effectively starving high street butchers and farmers' markets of supply."

He felt that changing to standard EU headage charges would stop further plant closures, essential to maintain a diverse farming industry and important for the future of organic and locally produced meat.

The joint letter has united organisations including the British Meat Federation, Compassion in World Farming, Federation of Small Businesses and those with a wider range of interests including the National Trust and the WI. In addition, all the farming unions have signed, together with other meat industry, conservation, animal welfare, organic farming and rural retailing bodies.

Mr Brennan added that the broadest support had been sought for the initiative because the task force had made it clear that to change the charging system for meat inspection could require additional treasury funding for the Meat Hygiene Service which, in the present economic climate, would not be given lightly.

"There are no food safety issues here," he went on. "The minister has made it clear that there will be 100pc veterinary cover in all full throughput abattoirs by next April. What is at issue is simply the way in which inspection charges are levied.

"Small and medium sized abattoirs kill more than half of all sheep and cattle in the UK. If we allow them to disappear there will be seismic repercussions which will destroy many of the unique aspects we have been attempting to encourage. This will take livestock farming further in the direction of mass production, just at a time when consumer interest in the way food is produced is at an all-time high."

In March the D&S Times highlighted the problems facing small abattoirs when it featured third- generation butcher Mr Joe Simpson of Cockfield. He slaughtered 700 lambs last year, for his own shops and other farmers, all fully traceable from birth to table.

Mr Simpson said at the time that all he wanted was a level playing field over charges, with vets and meat inspectors paid on headage, as his slaughter rate was five carcases an hour compared with 60 at large abattoirs.

He also felt that having to engage a vet and meat inspector every time he slaughtered was unnecessary. He wanted to see meat inspectors receive extra training so they could do both jobs But whatever the outcome of charging rates, Mr Simpson said he would not be driven out by bureaucracy.

The campaign for small abattoirs has also received massive support from the National Association of Farmers' Markets, which has collected a petition of more than 100,000 signatures which will shortly be delivered to Downing Street. It is also asking those concerned to write to their local MP voicing concern about the threat of closure to small and medium sized abattoirs in their areas