Making leather from the hides and skins of the animals reared on your farm offers a real opportunity to diversify production and add an income stream. The hides and skins can be recovered after the animals are slaughtered and processed to make leather. The finished leather can then be sold or used for the manufacture of goods, either on-site or in association with leathergoods makers, for sale from the farm and with the added benefit of a very short and transparent supply chain.
However, making leather is an involved undertaking and there are a number of issues that need to be considered:
· Are you able to recover your hides and skins from the abattoir?
· How do you want to tan your leather and who will do it for you?
· Who will you sell your leather to or who will manufacture leather goods for you?
· Regulations
The first step in making leather is securing your raw material. Many abattoirs sell the skins and hides they produce and may have established relationships with traders and tanneries. As such, they may be reluctant to take the extra steps required recover and return your skins and hides, or if they do, may add a premium for doing so. However, these materials, and sheepskins in particular, are increasingly becoming a waste issue for some abattoirs, adding to the cost of their operations. In this case, they may be more willing to collaborate. It is important to note that in order to collect skins and hides, you will need approval to handle and store them and the abattoir may request proof of this before releasing your materials. The requirements for approval to handle and store hides and skins can be found on the Government website.
Leather can made in a number of different ways. Perhaps the most important choice is how the leather will be tanned with the three most common tanning options being chromium-tanning (using Chromium III salts), synthetic tanning (using a range of organic chemicals) or vegetable tanning (using plant tannins). For the most part, the manufacturing process will be dictated by the expected end use but will also be affected factors such as the nature of the raw material and any preferences for processing chemicals. For example, the process for sheepskin will be different to that for cattle, hides and skins with scratches and scars may not be suitable for high quality aniline leathers and the choice of process chemicals will be influenced by both the end use and any sustainability aspirations.
A general introduction to leather and leather making can be found in the Leather Naturally Guide to Modern Leather Making and a more in-depth understanding is available in the Best Available Techniques Reference (BREF) Document for the Tanning of Hides and Skins.
With tan and return, the hides or skins are tanned by a commercial tannery and returned when finished. This might involve one or two processors, with the leather being manufactured entirely on one site or tanned to a semi-processed state by one processor and finished by another. The leather is then returned for sale or manufacture into products. The work of Andy Rumming is fine example of what can be achieved using this process, where the leather is used to manufacture belts and in courses where customers can manufacture their own pair of leather sneakers.
While this is perhaps the simplest route, it can present a number of challenges. Not least is the limited tanning capacity in the UK and, because of the difficulties with tracing individual hides and skins through the process, leather manufacturers may be reluctant to carry out contract tanning on a small-scale. As such, finding a processor may be difficult. There are a number of small manufacturers in the UK who offer various tanning services, including British Pasture Leather, Woodland Tannery, Skyeskyns and Welsh Organic Tannery, and will be available at Cotmarsh Tannery. Contract finishing services are available at Blenkinsop Leathers and Metropolitan Leather. It is also possible to have processing carried out in Europe but this adds to the complexity and cost of the process as transport and border issues, such as export health certificates for raw materials, have to be considered.
On-farm tanning would involve carrying out some or all of the leather manufacturing process on-site. However, an on-site tannery would overcome any issues with finding a contract tanner and retain more of the value of production. Making your own leather requires specialist expertise and equipment and is not a simple undertaking. However, as shown by Billy Tannery, it can be done and be very successful.
Tanning involves a range of chemicals and processes that require careful application in order to produce a high-quality product. This requires investment in training and equipment which involves a high initial cost compared to outsourcing production but will result in a higher return for the leather
Establishing a tannery would require the acquisition of the necessary equipment for processing and waste management, the necessary skills to make leather and the necessary permitting to ensure legal compliance. While they would vary depending on the chosen manufacturing process, the costs and time requirements would not inconsiderable. An option to address this could be sharing facilities with other farms; Farmer James Allen has established Cotmarsh Tannery and intends to offer access to some of the equipment at his site to others interested in developing their own leather businesses. Another possibility would be a dedicated ‘community’ unit, serving a cluster of farms. This would require greater coordination but would spread the set-up costs.
Once made, the leather can either be sold or used to manufacture leather goods.
Leather that is fully traceable and has a transparent manufacturing process, as well as being of high quality, will be very attractive to buyers, who should be willing to pay premium for the added value of knowing exactly where it came from and how it was made. Traceability is an increasingly important part of the story of leather, with makers and consumers looking for reassurance that their leather and leather goods are not associated with issues like deforestation or poor animal welfare and are sourced only as a by-product of the meat industry.
Alternatively, the leather could be manufactured into leather products with the potential for greater added value and appeal. For example, working with local artisans and makers would mean these products would come with a unique story, from farm to finished product. The Leather UK directory lists some of the artisans and makers in the UK.
As with other activities on the farm, making leather will be subject to a number of regulations.
These include regulations that will also apply to farm work, such as:
Other more specific regulations will also apply such as the previously described requirement for approval to recover your hides and skins from the abattoir and storing or handling them on your farm. The sale of leather and leather goods would also be subject to regulations, such as Consumer Rights Act and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
Depending on the scale of operation, the energy demands for operating some large pieces of tannery equipment, such as fleshers and splitters, can be very high and typically three-phase only. Anyone looking to run their own equipment will need to give careful consideration to the energy needs of their plant. Similarly, a building with the appropriate drainage, access and storage will be needed.
Making leather can use a lot of water. Do you have access to a reliable supply and what will it cost? How will you deal with the effluent?
Tanning of hides can be very difficult for a single operator; fresh hides are very heavy, wet and awkward to handle. It will be important for operational and safety reasons to have more than one person involved in the manufacturing process.
And finally, consideration of other business expenses, such as rates and appropriate insurance will be essential.
The opportunities and challenges to making leather on the farm. The challenges are not insignificant but the opportunities are definitely worth considering. Leather UK will be exploring how we can help with supporting a greater integration of farming and tanning in the UK. If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to get in touch.
