The proposed closure of London’s historic Smithfield meat market will add to the cost and complexity of supplying meat to the capital’s SME’s, the British Meat Processors Association has warned.
Plans to move Smithfield – Europe’s largest wholesale meat market – to a new site in Dagenham, east London, were announced in 2019 by the City of London Corporation.
The switch, alongside the planned relocation of Canary Wharf’s Billingsgate Fish Market, would “secure the success” of the sites, the corporation said at the time, while offering “more modern facilities and space for traders to grow”.
But after the relocation was abandoned earlier this month due to rising costs, the corporation – the square mile’s local authority – voted this week to close both markets altogether by 2028, with no replacement.
The corporation this week said it would work with traders to help them find alternative premises, while also paying out compensation worth millions of pounds. Both sites are expected to be redeveloped.
A market has operated on the Smithfield site for almost 900 years, with the current Smithfield market complex more than 140 years old. However, poultry traders moved out last year.
The Times reported yesterday that the closures would save the corporation more than £600m – a similar sum that would be required to refresh the markets for a further 20 years of use. More than £300m has reportedly already been spent on the aborted relocation plans.
But the closures, with no replacement modern market facility, would make “supplying meat to small and medium businesses across the capital more expensive and less efficient by fragmenting and replicating operations that should remain centralised”, said BMPA CEO Nick Allen.
Provision Trade Federation director general Rod Addy called the announcement “the end of an era for London”, despite discussions over the closure of Smithfield having been circulating for many years.
“This is a site of hugely historic significance for the meat trade, playing host to some of the biggest names in butchery just 50 years ago,” he added.
“Indeed, a market has operated on the land there for at least 865 years and it is referred to in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. However, over the past decade or so, most meat traders maintained only a token presence there, selling mainly to restaurants rather than direct to consumers.”
Some level of trading will remain there for another four years, “but the retail landscape has completely transformed over the past 40 years”, Addy pointed out. “Thankfully, the meat trade continues to thrive across the UK through independent butchers and supermarkets and the UK still maintains a reputation for high-quality cuts.”
Tony Goodger, head of communications at the Association of independent Meat Traders, echoed Addy comments, saying: “We will now see the end of a meat industry hub serving our country’s capital.
“No doubt existing Smithfield tenants will re-locate but inevitably they will scatter across outer London and the day-to-day camaraderie of the meat trade will be lost to the pages of history.“
Following the closure announcement, some sources have suggested a legal challenge could be in the offing – due to the corporation’s failure to complete a court-mandated study into the importance of the markets to London’s food supply.
Any closure plans will also need to be passed by parliament.
Chris Hayward, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, said the decision represented a “positive new chapter” for the markets as it “empowers traders to build a sustainable future in premises that align with their long-term business goals”.
Speaking to the BBC, he added: “By stepping back from direct market operations, we will help to create opportunities for these businesses to thrive independently.
“We’ve worked closely with the traders and thank them for their input and understanding.
“We’re committed to making sure they have the financial support and guidance they need to transition seamlessly and successfully to new locations.”
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