Fir Farm digitises food safety and traceability
After its local abattoir closed, Fir Farm replaced paper records with TELUS Food Safety & Quality for stronger compliance and traceability.
Key takeaways
Turned an industry challenge into an opportunity by pioneering one of the UK's first moveable slaughter unit operations following the closure of the local abattoir.
Digitised food safety and compliance by replacing paper-based records with real-time digital workflows.
Improved confidence during inspections with access to up-to-date food safety and operational records.
Strengthened farm-to-fork traceability by creating the foundation for a complete digital record of every animal and product.
Reduced weekly administrative time by 50% (saving approximately 2.5 hours) across vending, pasteuriser checks and ice cream production, plus 1.5 hours on each abattoir kill day by digitising livestock movement licensing.
Helping shape the future of local meat production by creating a scalable model that combines high animal welfare, sustainability and digital innovation.
Executive summary
The appetite for locally produced meat has never been stronger. Yet, while 61% of UK farmers have seen increased demand for their meat products in recent years, many are finding it increasingly difficult to meet that demand due to limited access to suitable abattoir services. One in three have also seen their local abattoir close within the past five years, putting additional pressure on local meat production.
Faced with the closure of its local abattoir, Fir Farm set out to rethink how local meat could be produced more sustainably while maintaining the highest standards of food safety, animal welfare and traceability.
Working alongside the Sustainable Food Trust, the Cotswolds-based organic regenerative farm pioneered one of the UK's first moveable slaughter unit operations and built the country's first dedicated processing hub. To support this innovative model, Fir Farm implemented TELUS Food Safety & Quality to replace paper-based food safety and compliance processes with digital workflows that improve visibility, strengthen traceability and simplify regulatory compliance.
Today, Fir Farm is demonstrating how ingenuity and technology can help build a more resilient local food system while creating a blueprint for the future of sustainable meat production.
About Fir Farm
Fir Farm is a mixed, organic, regenerative farm rearing native livestock in rotation with arable crops in the Cotswolds. When its local abattoir closed in 2022, the team faced longer transport times, reduced processing capacity and additional animal welfare concerns.
Rather than accept the status quo, Fir Farm chose to innovate.
Working alongside the Sustainable Food Trust, the farm pioneered one of the UK's first moveable slaughter unit operations and built the country's first dedicated processing hub to support it.
Software used
Fir Farm implemented TELUS Food Safety & Quality, replacing paper-based food safety records with digital workflows that improve compliance, simplify day-to-day operations and strengthen traceability from farm to consumer.
"By digitising our food safety and compliance processes, we're building a model that supports animal welfare, strengthens traceability and gives us confidence as we continue to innovate."
Phil Gordon-Jones
Farm Manager, Fir Farm
Key capabilities delivered
Digital food safety and compliance records
Real-time operational checks and inspections
Digital cleaning and sanitation workflows
Farm-to-fork traceability
Centralised documentation for regulatory inspections
Mobile data capture across farming and processing operations
Simplify compliance, strengthen traceability and reduce paperwork with TELUS Food Safety & Quality
The challenge: Maintaining local meat production in the face of abattoir closures
For Fir Farm, replacing its local abattoir wasn't simply about finding another processing facility.
The farm wanted to create a more sustainable model that kept animals on the farm throughout their lives, reduced transport, minimised food miles and provided complete transparency for customers.
However, operating one of the UK's first moveable slaughter unit operations also introduced a unique set of challenges. Fir Farm needed to:
Meet the same rigorous Food Standards Agency (FSA) standards as a traditional abattoir.
Capture food safety and operational records consistently in a busy outdoor environment.
Replace paper-based processes that were difficult to manage and prone to damage.
Maintain complete traceability while introducing an entirely new processing model.
"When you're working outdoors, paper records just aren't practical. We needed a simpler way to capture the data as the work was happening."
Phil Gordon-Jones
Farm Manager, Fir Farm
The solution: From paper records to digital food safety and traceability
To support its innovative processing model, Fir Farm implemented TELUS Food Safety & Quality across its farming and processing operations.
Using mobile tablets, staff now complete food safety checks, cleaning records, maintenance logs and production activities in real time, whether they're performing welfare checks in the lairage pens, executing hygiene logs in the moveable slaughter unit, or tracking inventory for their direct-to-consumer retail outlets.
Instead of information being spread across paper records, food safety and operational data is captured in one central system, making it easier to monitor activities, identify trends, demonstrate compliance and support continuous improvement.
"Moving to a digital system provides complete, real-time business visibility. Recording accurate data on the go eliminates tedious end-of-day paperwork, allowing me to finish my workday earlier."
Phil Gordon-Jones
Farm Manager, Fir Farm
The platform is also helping Fir Farm realise its long-term vision of creating a digital "meat passport" – linking animal history, movement records and processing information into one complete digital record that follows products from farm to consumer.
The results: Replacing paper records with real-time digital workflows
Fir Farm's results at a glance:
50% reduction in weekly admin time (saving 2.5 hours) across vending operations, pasteuriser checks and ice cream production
1.5 hours saved on every abattoir kill day by digitising livestock movement licensing
Inspection-ready digital records
Stronger farm-to-fork traceability
Reduced paperworks and greater operational visibility
By digitising food safety and operational records, Fir Farm has created a more efficient and transparent way of managing compliance.
Rather than searching through folders during inspections, the team can quickly access the information they need, providing greater confidence that their records are accurate, complete and readily available.
"Having worked in large abattoirs, I know how demanding compliance can be. TELUS Food Safety & Quality gives a small mobile unit the same regulatory rigour and audit readiness as a major facility, without the paperwork.”
Matt Preece
Technical Director, Qualitex Hygiene Services Ltd
Recording information as work is completed helps reduce the risk of missed tasks while improving visibility across the operation.
Beyond compliance, digitisation is strengthening traceability throughout the farm.
"For us, traceability is about being able to tell the complete story behind every product – from where the animal was raised to how it was processed. That's something our customers increasingly value."
Phil Gordon-Jones
Farm Manager, Fir Farm
The move to digital is also reducing administration and creating opportunities to streamline future regulatory processes, including digitising livestock movement licences and sharing information more easily with government systems.
Today, Fir Farm has established a digital foundation that helps it maintain compliance, improves operational efficiency and enables greater transparency across its farm-to-fork supply chain.
Looking ahead: Creating a blueprint for the future of local meat processing
Fir Farm's ambition extends well beyond its own operation.
Working alongside the Sustainable Food Trust, the farm is helping demonstrate how moveable slaughter units and digital food safety systems can strengthen local food networks, improve animal welfare and support more resilient farming businesses across the UK.
Central to this approach is Fir Farm's dedicated processing hub, a fully licensed base site complete with dedicated lairage pens, specialised drainage, and chilling infrastructure. By creating a blueprint where one mobile abattoir can travel between several licensed regional hubs, Fir Farm is proving how neighboring farms can share high-value equipment and split operational costs without sacrificing strict regulatory standards.
"The UK's declining local abattoirs threaten sustainable farming and meat supplies. Fir Farm's mobile slaughter unit, backed by TELUS, proves on-farm processing offers a viable solution."
Lady Jane Parker
Owner of Fir Farm
Fir Farm’s team regularly hosts farm tours and shares its experience with producers looking to establish similar models, helping accelerate innovation across the industry.
Looking ahead, Fir Farm sees further opportunities to integrate food safety, traceability and livestock movement data, creating an even more connected and efficient way of managing local meat production.
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