Customers at Gerald David, the West Country butchers, are voting for the company’s favourite butcher as part of National Butchers Week.

London butcher chain the Ginger Pig is to open a fifth site in London.

Five London butchers have been chosen as unmissable meat venues in the capital, “away from the vac-packed, anonymous experience of shopping in supermarkets”, according to Time Out.

Some of the top young butchers in the UK are gearing up for National Butchers’ Week, which is now only four days away.

Down to the final five days before National Butchers' Week and butchers continue their preparations for a week of promotion.

With just six days until National Butchers' Week, butchers across the UK will be dusting down the bunting and polishing up the patter for a week of fun-filled activity.

Vegans are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups, according to reports.

Just seven days to go until National Butchers’ Week, and butchers up and down the country are gearing up to make the most of the week.

A Cumbrian butcher has triumphed in a Scottish competition to seek out the perfect banger to promote National Butchers’ Week.

A television company is looking for a butcher and their family to take part in a new series on the BBC, which will examine how shops have changed over the years.

Cancer bosses have dismissed a report by the US meat industry, which it claimed cast doubt on links between meat and cancer, as “more spin than science”.

The manager of a Staffordshire butcher’s has been jailed after admitting stealing takings from the shop.

Mellors Farm Butchers was crowned overall champion in the West Midlands in the 2009/10 Bpex challenge.

Climate change continues to dominate the headlines and will be the main topic of conversation at the annual Outlook Conference in London in April.

A Birmingham chef has beaten off competition from across the UK to be declared the Chef of the Year after a gruelling challenge which even tested competitors’ butchery skills.

A pork, goats’ cheese and watercress sausage has won the Supreme Champion title of the 2010 Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie & Ready Meal Competition.

Increased demand for alternative steak cuts is paying off for wholesalers, processors and catering butchers with benefits including improved beef carcase balance and increasing prices of under-used primals, Eblex has claimed.

A total of 15 prizes were presented at the annual Institute of Meat and Meat Training Council Awards at Butchers’ Hall, London. Prizewinners came from widely differing meat industry backgrounds and ages.

Aprons for National Butchers' Week are now available to order from event organiser William Reed.

Scottish producers are hoping to appeal to health conscious consumers with the launch a new healthier bacon.
The bacon, which features 25% less salt and 20% less fat, was developed as part of a £40,000 Quality Meat Scotland project, match funding by Scottish Enterprise.

Current issues in the food industry will be put under the spotlight during a free half-day event at Cranfield University. Sessions will be delivered by expert academics from Cranfield Health and Cranfield School of Management.

An East Midlands-wide support organisation for food and drink firms has launched a recruitment drive for more butcher members.

A former NHS boss is to take over the top job at the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), it was announced this week.
Tom Taylor will be stepping into the AHDB’s chief executive position later this year, replacing Kevin Roberts who leaves to head up the National Farmers Union in April.

Sales on the UK’s high streets rose by the lowest amount in January for 15 years.

A film examining the major players in the US agriculture industry opened in the UK on Friday.

MTJ's hunt for the UK's greenest butcher continues to gather pace with National Butchers' Week just a month away. The search to find the UK's most environmentally responsible meat retailer will form the backbone of MTJ's promotion of the week.

The 10 chefs through to the final of the Aubrey Allen-sponsored British Culinary Federation ‘Chef of the Year’ for 2010 have been revealed.

The British Pie Awards will return in 2010 to seek out the best products from across the UK. Butchers, bakers and manufacturers will all be able to compete to take home the title of “Supreme Champion” at Melton Mowbray on 19 May.

Scotch meat bosses are hoping to create a revolution on the football terraces up and down the country with the launch of a new healthy eating pie.

Pork is "better than Viagra", according to South American politicians and UK pig farmers are now hoping to spread the word this Valentine's Day.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has been accused of being on an "anti-meat crusade" after it reportedly refused to acknowledge claims that its high-profile report linking meat and cancer was found to have "significant" flaws. However, the WCRF has hit back, branding the accusations as "outrageous" and "ludicrous", and claiming any flaws were too minor to have affected overall conclusions.

More than 70 new exhibitors are set to make their debut at Foodex 2010, the UK’s leading meat exhibition. The new arrivals will be joining a strong list of over 200 firms, such as Handtmann, Reiser, Interfood Technology, Marel and Ishida Europe, which the organiser, William Reed Business Media, claimed demonstrated the continuing strength of the Foodex brand.

Bob Young, owner of Meads Village Butchers in Eastbourne has been voted butcher of the year at the Sussex Food & Drink awards.

Young, 52, beat off competition from Renhurst Farm shop near Tunbridge Wells, and Westdene Butchers, Brighton.

Butchers are being urged to get in touch with their local schools to help create a buzz around National Butchers’ Week.
Meat Trades Journal has commissioned a lesson plan based around sausage-making and has created a dedicated teaching resource section for schools to download the plan, along with recipe ideas.

The meat industry’s leading charity, the Butchers’ & Drovers’ Charitable Institution (BDCI) is aiming for a modern new look with the launch of a new logo.

Norfolk butcher Icarus Hines has produced a butchery and cookery DVD to raise money for a local children’s hospice.

The Help for Heroes (H4H) charity is to benefit from additional donations thanks to two new varieties of pork sausages that are now being sold in Tesco stores across southern England.

Three Kent butchers are vying for the county’s top food and drink award.

A unique study is under way to look at changing trends in the consumption of halal meat in England.
The research, which is the first of its kind, has been commissioned by the newly-formed Halal Steering Group, established by Eblex with key industry figures to guide work in the halal sector and act as a forum for issues related to halal meat.

The number of food and drink sector deals involving UK firms fell by 30% to just 70 last year, comapred with 132 in 2007.

Good news for meat lovers, US doctors are claiming the Atkins diet is better at cutting blood pressure than weight-loss pills.

Bpex has unveiled dancer and presenter Anton Du Beke as their celebrity face for Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week, running from 22-28 March.

Haggis sales are soaring as the Scottish nation prepares for its annual celebration of Burns’ Night tonight. Haggis sales for 2009 surged by 19% to £8.8m on the previous year, with Scottish leaders proclaiming the increase as a vote of confidence in Scottish produce.

Ditching a diet of meat for imitations such as tofu and Quorn could be more damaging to the environment, a report from a charity has found.

Independent Hampshire butchers and meat producers are being encouraged to enter the Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie and Ready Meal Competition.

This year’s Bpex and Eblex Outlook Conference will focus on climate change and how it affects consumer perception and the working of the supply chain, as well as forecasts for 2010 and beyond.

Butchers and supermarkets insist they are keeping meat on the country’s tables during the deep freeze.

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has raided the culinary history books to find warming winter dishes for late-season Scotch Lamb.

Hospitality and retail businesses keen to source local food and drink from the South Downs area are being invited to a Meet the Producer day in Petersfield.

Manufacturers and butchers supplying pork products to caterers have the chance to showcase their products in an annual contest.

A new DVD featuring butchery experts aims to pass on valuable skills and raise funds for charity.

Lucas Ingredients has put together the guide on curing bacon, making pies and sausages and creating ready meals. It says the “no-nonsense, down-to-earth delivery”, will be a great training tool for newcomers to the trade and a memory-jogger for experienced butchers.

A recent Eblex promotion has been hailed its most successful ever, attracting more than 35,000 consumer entries.

The search is on for the UK's greenest butcher as part of this year's National Butchers' Week, which takes place between March 15-20.

Now in its third year, National Butchers’ Week will be hunting for the nation’s most environmentally responsible meat retailer for the first time.

A co-founder of a leading turkey brand has passed away aged 80, her family has announced.

Butchers are being challenged to come up with a new meat glaze in a UK-wide contest.

Scottish food companies are being encouraged to recycle their waste and help power the region.

With landfill tax set to rise by £8 per tonne each year until at least 2013, Scottish Water Horizons - the commercial arm of Scottish Water - is keen to hear from businesses that have solid and liquid waste that could be turned into electricity.

An abattoir in South Wales has relaunched after a refurbishment which should help increase production and promote locally-sourced beef, lamb and pork.

Food and drink companies are being asked for their views on new qualifications designed to boost skills and knowledge in the sector.

The government is to set out its first major food strategy since the Second World War, amid a storm of media reports which claim it will be urging people to go vegetarian.
Defra minister Hilary Benn is to launch the strategy, entitled Food 2030, at the Oxford Farming Conference this morning. However, the Daily Mail has already claimed the report will urge people to stop eating red meat – a claim denied by Defra, which said the report is urging people to eat a healthy and sustainable diet.

High-quality halal meat will be on the menu for Olympic athletes after Games officials approved The European Halal Development Agency’s Standard for all halal products.

An Australian butcher has embraced the digital revolution and is tapping into wealthy customers through the popular Apple iPhone.

Butchers are being urged to ensure they have registered their business with MTJ's free listing service, www.findabutcher.co.uk

Hereford butcher Dennis Ogleby has died following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and associated illnesses.

British butchers aiming for a management role are being encouraged to book a flight to Denmark.

The Danish Meat Trade College (DMTC) in Roskilde has places on its one-week manager training programme, starting on 24 January, teaching practical skills as well as providing an essential grounding in general management

Sausage expert Gary Smith is celebrating a sizzling win in the Three Counties Sausage and Pie contest for butchers in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire.

Meat wholesaler Clifton Quality Meats has announced it has opened a brand new cutting plant in Yorkshire to ensure it can meet demand that has been building across the region.

The latest Simply beef and lamb recipe booklet features exclusive dinner party recipes and entertaining tips from Quality Standard ambassador for beef, chef Angela Hartnett.

Halal issues within the meat sector are to be given greater focus following the establishment of a new industry group.

Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, has launched an eight week consultation on legislation aimed at strengthening Wales’s programme to eradicate bovine TB.

Welsh beef has a new television campaign this December, offering an alternative solution to the traditional turkey on Christmas Day.

A 16-year-old butcher from Pontardawe has been crowned Welsh Young Butcher of the Year in a contest organised by training provider Cambrian Training Company.

Paul McCartney has taken his campaign for ‘meat-free Mondays’ to a European Parliament hearing, although he received political brickbats for his trouble.

Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb will feature among some of Britain’s most cherished produce at an upcoming Christmas Market in London this week.

Suffolk meat company C&K Group has unveiled plans to build a multi-species plant, serving the East Anglia region, in a project backed by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

Cranstons has marked the official opening of its expanded Penrith food hall by inviting four suppliers to cut a “ribbon” of Cumberland sausages.

Traditional Mount Street butchers Allens of Mayfair is taking its quality meat, poultry and game to the masses with the launch of a new website and online ordering.

An East Sussex farm shop is celebrating after beating local butchers to take home the top prize at the South East Sauasage and Pie Competition.

The managing director of Leamington Spa butcher Aubrey Allen has been appointed the new chairman of the National Association of Catering Butchers (NACB).

Kendall’s Farm Butchers is celebrating after storming home with the champion title in four separate categories before being named overall champion in BPEX’s North East roadshow.

Fields of Anlaby beat off tough competition to take home the top honour at MTJ’s annual Butcher’s Shop of the Year awards yesterday (17 November).

Fields of Anlaby was crowned overall winner after coming out top in the Midlands and East of England category for the second year running.

Peter Allen, MD of Aubrey Allen, is the new chairman of the National Association of Catering Butchers (NACB).

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee were in London on Monday to celebrate the launch of British Sausage Week and award the multiple retail and London regional winners of the ‘Magical Banger’ competition.

Caterers, butchers, hoteliers and retailers are being invited to stand and bid for some of the country’s top livestock at the ringside of a premier winter livestock show.

A Warwick butcher is quids-in after discovering a winning ticket worth £1,000 in his delivery of fresh beef.

Catering butcher Yorkshire Dales Meat has taken home the Producer of the Year title at the International Business Forum awards dinner held in Scarborough.

Regional food group Produced in Kent has launched a pork campaign to bring some November cheer to the county's consumers.

Work is already under way on next year's National Butchers' Week (NBW), with plans being formed to ensure the week is stronger than ever.

Long-forgotten traditional beef and lamb dishes are making a comeback thanks to a new Eblex recipe booklet.

A young sausage-maker stole the show at the South West BPEX Butcher Roadshow and Product Evaluation.

Optimism is riding high among butchers, despite new figures indicating a 2.8% annual drop in the number of businesses registered as butcher's shops for VAT purposes.

Leamington Spa-based Aubrey Allen has walked away with Great Taste Awards for two of its dishes.

Yorkshire butcher Lishman's aims to bring a taste of Iberia to the north of England by becoming the exclusive partner to a Spanish food consortium.

Voakes Pies, of Whixley Grange, Whixley, has been crowned Yorkshire's supreme pork pie champion at the 21st Great Yorkshire Pork Pie, Sausage, & Products Competition.

Accountants and business adviser PKF has announced that 200 jobs at Midlands butchery chain Walter Smith have been saved, following a restructure by the administrator.

A Huddersfield butcher has regained the top crown for his pork sausage as the 'Foodservice Pork Sausage of the Year' at an event at Butchers' Hall.

Expert sausage-maker Allan Bennett was celebrating success after walking away with the top title of Champion of Champions for the second time.

According to Paddington Bear "marmalade is good to eat" and that certainly proved true for Allan, who runs Allan Bennetts Butchers in Codsall, Wolverhampton. His pork and marmalade sausage wowed judges and beat off competition from at least 20 other champion sausage-makers at MTJ's annual contest in London this week.

Regional food group Produced in Kent has launched a pork campaign to bring some November cheer to the county’s consumers.

Catering butcher Yorkshire Dales Meat has taken home the Producer of the Year title at the International Business Forum awards dinner held in Scarborough.

EBLEX has moved quickly to reassure the independent retail trade and small and medium-sized abattoir sector that its Quality Standard scheme for beef and lamb will continue to operate and be supported.

Long-forgotten traditional beef and lamb dishes are making a comeback thanks to a new EBLEX recipe booklet. The autumn edition of the Simply beef and lamb magazine includes a range of historic recipes, such as Beef Braised in Beer and Devonshire Squab Pie, recreated for the modern palate, designed to promote Quality Standard beef and lamb through butchers across the country.

Fairfax Meadow is hoping for success with the launch of a new premium range of beef aimed at the foodservice sector

Not many butchers can claim they have played host to pop star Leo Sayer or 1970s Top of the Pops dancers Pan's People, but Hartlepool-based Ron Trotter has managed to pack a lot into his years.

A sausage and pie competition has been launched in the South East, searching for the best regional products made from locally sourced meat.

Two young Northern Irish butchers have triumphed in the Meat Skills Northern Ireland competition, organised by Scottish Meat Training (SMT).

If you fancy building your own smokehouse and learning some traditional crafts, a new book by a master meat curer might be just the help you need.

Butchers will get the chance to make their business stand out from the crowd by winning a Bpex award at a series of regional roadshows.

A Sidmouth butcher plans to appeal his council's refusal to allow him to display a Q Guild sign outside his shop.

Butchers from across the UK will be competing later this month to take home the ultimate title in sausage making MTJ's Champion of Champions.

Environmental health officers have gone to court to get a closure order against an Oxford butcher after discovering a cockroach infestation described as "unbelievable".

A Lancashire butcher has invested £40,000 to satisfy demand for haggis. Chris Brown of Brown's Butcher in Chorley has added new cooking facilities, invested in vacuum packaging, developed new labels and taken on an extra member of staff to cope with a surge of interest in the haggis he has been producing to his own recipe for 15 years.

A Warwickshire butcher is set to offer a master class in both butchery and sausage making for his customers.

Morrisons, KellyBronze and a Warrington butcher’s shop have been celebrating success in the 2009 British Turkey Awards.

Yorkshire butchers are being urged to champion their wares and help celebrate a competition’s landmark anniversary.

Organisers of British Sausage Week have announced that magician and assistant Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee will be the celebrity faces of the event this year.

HRH The Princess Royal has been elected as one of 15 assistants to the Court of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. She has agreed to serve as renter assistant this year and will become master next year.

Jeffrey Davies, who trades at Smithfield Market and has a factory in Gillingham, Kent, succeeds Brian Wheatley as master for the coming year.

BPEX has confirmed it will be using the Red Tractor logo to promote quality assured pig meat in 2010. The levy body said a revised Red Tractor logo will be used, incorporating all the existing standards of the BPEX Quality Standard Mark covering production, welfare and quality.

Pig farms throughout Scotland are being visited by Scottish SPCA inspectors as part of a ground-breaking initiative welcomed by the Scottish pig industry.

A three-species abattoir has said the appointment of a new general manager will maintain the momentum for an autumn re-opening of the Shropshire premises.

Youngsters are turning to butchery in their droves in Northern Ireland, with almost a third of new apprentices signing up for the trade. The region has reported a five-fold increase in the number of new food and drink manufacturing apprentices, thanks to a new-look qualification and extra funding.

The Dalesman Group has announced the completion of a three-quarters-of-a-million pound extension to its business.

Butchers and farm shops who want to gain publicity and appear on an online TV channel, are being encouraged to enter a competition called ‘Meet the Producer’.

The first round of judging is over for this year's Butcher's Shop of the Year Awards and the finalists have now been announced.

The judges had a tough task this year, with the general standard of entries very high and the competition strong across all regions.

A sausage and pie competition has been launched in the South East, searching for the best regional products made from locally sourced meat.

A Stirlingshire butcher found himself at the centre of international media attention last month in the great debate of whether haggis is English or Scottish.

A Scottish butcher has won three awards for its new website at the newly launched Online Retail Awards.

This summer's erratic weather has not just put a dampener on barbecue sales, it is leading to an increased risk of pest infestations.

An enterprising West Midlands butcher is expanding its business through a partnership with a local stately home.

Judging is now under way to find this year's top butchery business in MTJ's annual Butcher's Shop of the Year Awards (BSOTY).

Increased retail sales and improved business confidence could signal the end of the recession, but experts warn recovery will be slow.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published its third progress update on the development of the Scores on the Doors (SotD) scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Entries are already flooding in for MTJ's annual Champion of Champions 2009 awards.

Savoury pastry brand Ginsters of Cornwall has announced it is relaunching its individual 180g boxed pie range for this Autumn.

Entries are already flooding in for MTJ’s annual Champion of Champions 2009 awards.

Some of country’s best butchers are expected to enter the annual event, which will pitch award-winning sausages from across the UK against each other in a bid to find Britain's best sausage.

The recession won’t stop game from getting off to a flying start this season, according to promotional body Game-to-Eat.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning that a bullock slaughtered near Sheffield has entered the food chain without being tested for BSE.

Butchers, supermarkets and sausage manufacturers are being urged to pull their best pork sausages out of the hat in the hunt for the country's most “magical” banger.

The BPEX competition marks the return of British Sausage Week, which will take place from from 2-8 November 2009.

Time is running out for entries to this year's Butcher's Shop of the Year Awards 2009. If you are running an award-winning shop, MTJ is looking for your entry, but we'll need it in by this Friday (14 August).

Butchers from across Yorkshire will be gearing up for the 21st Great Yorkshire Pork Pie, Sausage, Black Pudding & Beefburger Competition, which will be held on Sunday, 18 October.

Welsh butcher Gareth Cole of Neath Market is aiming for the hat-trick of becoming the Young Butcher of the Year as the competition opens up for entries.

Stonleigh Park is to host a new technical business event, designed for producers, processors and retailers in the red meat supply chain.

Butchers are being given a further opportunity to be in with a chance of taking home the title of Best Butcher's Shop in Britain.

Lucky shopper Mike Fallon will be all kitted out this summer, after winning a brand new barbecue, courtesy of EBLEX.

Ian Danskin and the team at Pearsons of Ingleton in North Yorkshire joined forces with equipment supplier W R Wrights and seasonings producer RAPS UK for an NSPCC charity barbecue.

Butchers could be in with a chance of a free computer after a website promoting small businesses announced it is looking for a firm that qualifies as a Small Business Local Legend.

Seasoning manufacturer Gordon Rhodes & Son has successfully retained a Grade A level certification with its recent British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit.

The Competition Commission (CC) is to press ahead with plans to prevent multiple retailers from establishing a monopoly in local markets.

It is so far so good for England in the Ashes and Berkamsted butcher Joe Collier is looking to hit a six with his sales.

A discount loyalty scheme, run by shop chain Lloyd Maunder is proving a big hit with customers, the company has said.

The Met Office has issued a revised forecast, washing away any hopes of a barbecue summer with predictions of more rain in August.

A Dundee meat supplier linked with banker Sir Fred Goodwin has been left fuming after a national newspaper printed a story of alleged inaccurate marketing.

A total of eight butchers in Wales have been crowned National Champions after going head-to-head at a wet Royal Welsh Show last month.

Sausage champions across the UK are in with a chance of taking the ultimate sausage accolade - Champion of Champions. The MTJ-organised event takes award-winning sausages from across the UK and pitches them head-to-head to decide the UK's overall best sausage.

Leading haggis producer Macsween has pointed out it was Scotland's greatest writer, not England's, who wrote in praise of the sheep innards delicacy, after recent research uncovered the fact that the haggis might be an English invention.

Kepak UK has been fined a total of £45,000 after two employees at one of its butchery plants in Preston caught Legionnaires’ Disease.

Meat traders in Cumbria are being warned about the risk of buying contaminated meat after a number of sheep were stolen from a field.

A butcher has been left counting the cost after raiders stole more than £4,000 of meat from his business. Bill Maiden, of W Maiden & Son in Brewood, Staffordshire, had bought the meat especially for the county’s annual Food and Country Fair.

Butchers are being given a further opportunity to be in with a chance of taking home the title of Best Butcher’s Shop in Britain. Due to overwhelming demand, Meat Trades Journal is extending the entry deadline for its Butcher’s Shop of the Year Awards to Friday, 14 August

>> Download Entry Form

Former hardman of the Thatcher government Norman Tebbit has released a game cookery book after being inspired by a conversation with his local butcher.

Defra has invited turkey producers, vets, consumers and retailers to respond to a consultation on how EU legislation regarding the control of salmonella in turkey flocks should be introduced to the UK.

A sausage manufacturer is looking to expand its offer to butchers nationwide. Simply Real Sausages are currently available from butchers in London and the south east, but the company is looking to widen its distribution.

It is so far so good for England in the Ashes and Berkamsted butcher Joe Collier is looking to hit a six with his sales.

A Cambridgeshire butcher’s is to close up as a retail outlet after 140 years in business, due to falling trade.

Two trips to the Continent to see aspects of the European industry are being planned by the UK meat industry’s professional education and training body, the Institute of Meat (IoM).

Cumbrian food and butchery firm Cranstons nearly completed a clean sweep at the Q Guild BBQ Championships in London by winning four top awards.

A Shropshire butcher beat off competition from five rivals in a cutting and display skills competition at the recent Beef Expo in Malvern.

Butchers and farm shops in rural areas are being encouraged to enter a competition launched by Country Life magazine in association with Waitrose.

Some of the best butchers in Northern Ireland will be facing-off this September in the final of the Meat Skills Northern Ireland competition.

Butchers are warned to be vigilant for fraudsters after new research showed a surge in credit card crime. Independent retailers are also reporting an increase in the level of shoplifting, break-ins, and staff theft as a result of the ongoing economic crisis.

Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan has told the Welsh Assembly that the Pennington Report has shone a clear light on industry shortcomings.

Beef and lamb industry body EBLEX is to launch a new cutting guide for butchers and caterers to help boost veal sales and inform consumers.

The Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ), a subsidiary company of the Meat Training Council (MTC), has recruited a new quality and accreditation manager to join its team.

Duck firm Cherry Valley has launched a new higher welfare range of duck products for outlets and menus with the Farm Fresh Duck.

EBLEX will launch a new campaign to encourage people to buy Quality Standard beef and lamb for barbecues fronted by TV personality Ben Fogle.

Crazy Bags is offering a new range of eco-friendly carrier bags for summer 2009.

Butchers up and down the country should be sharpening their pencils and taking a good long look at their business, as the Butcher's Shop of the Year awards 2009 get under way.

The talents of four young butchers were showcased at the Royal Highland Show last month.

Several butchers across the north west were celebrating this week after scooping a range of titles in the Fine Foods Northwest Awards, showcasing everything from sausages to mutton.

The new president of the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders (NFMFT) has reassured butchers that they can trade their way out of the economic crisis.

A Nottinghamshire farm shop has beaten off competition from across the UK butchery sector to take the title of National Champion in the BPEX final of its 'Excellence in British Meat Products' awards.

A butcher in Scotland has achieved a whopping turnover after only taking over a business for one year.

A special scheme to gain some hands-on experience at an award-winning butcher's business has been launched.

Are you the meat industry's answer to Jenson Button? The race is on for the inaugural BDCI Karting competition, in a bid to boost funds for the industry’s leading charity.

Yorkshire butcher Drake & Macefield in Skipton has completed a major refurbishment of its shop with a brand new layout. The shop now has new refrigerated meat display units, new flooring and other improvements, in line with the latest health and hygiene regulations.

Seasoning manufacturer The Dalesman Group has launched a new range of glazes and coaters for meat in time for the barbecue season for butchers and farm shops.

It is with regret that we report the passing of Michael 'Mick' Coyston of Ferguson's of Smithfield, who passed away on 12 May aged 69.

A butchery competition has attracted a record number of entries, despite the economic downturn. Thirty-four stores entered 280 products into the North Wales Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Meat Products, organised by Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), showing butchers are still innovating in downturn.

The Scottish Meat Trade Fair, held in Perth last month, is reported to have attracted over 400 visitors, with traders seeing high levels of interest.

EBLEX has been inundated with requests for its special lamb freezer pack kits, which were launched to Quality Standard (QS) scheme members to help minimise wastage and maximise profit.

Both the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association (SFMTA) and the Scottish Beef and Cattle Association (SBCA) are calling for a review of the decision not to allow the removal of vertebral column (VC) from cattle in butchers' shops.

Meat training bosses are hoping to bring back the concept of 'Master Butchers' with the launch of a new scheme.

A number of butchers across the north west were celebrating this week after scooping a range of titles in the Fine Foods Northwest Awards, showcasing everything from sausages to mutton.

Butchers from the UK are being given the opportunity to go head to head against the European cousins in a bid to claim the title of Europe’s best deboner.

A Northern Ireland competition winner visited Liverpool recently to see her recipe cooked up by food writer Greg Wallace.

A leading businessman in the meat industry has given his reaction after receiving a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours.

Less than a third of Britons believe that eating processed meat will increase the risk of bowel cancer, a YouGov survey has revealed.

The survey of 2,249 people, which was commissioned by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), revealed that only 32% of Britons think that eating meats such as bacon and ham will increase their risk of cancer.

Chefs, butchers and catering students have descended on Stoneleigh Park to get the inside track on making lamb more profitable.

Bramptons Butchers was first past the post in the race to produce a champion Sussex sausage for Brighton Racecourse.

Judges ruled that Bramptons’ traditional pork sausage was lengths ahead of its competitors and awarded owner Paul Williams the Grand Champion Banger trophy at the racecourse’s ‘Great British Race Day’ on 7 June.

A Scarborough-based butcher’s business has been declared one of the most enterprising family operation in Yorkshire.

T Gibson’s Butchers was chosen by a panel of experts to be named Yorkshire’s most dynamic and exciting family-run business.

A Midlands-based butchers has been named Which? Local Business of the Year at the third annual Which? Awards. The award was presented to Richard Morris of Joseph Morris Butchers by news presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, at a ceremony held at the British Museum yesterday.

Four days and 187 hard miles later, the Butchers on Bikes team rolled into Paris in triumph.

The weeks of training, or minutes in some cases, paid off as all 31 cyclists crossed the finish line under the Eiffel Tower. Hills, rain and French pedestrians proved no obstacle to the intrepid team, although the accomodation nearly finished some of them off.

New research suggests that eating curry several times a week could help prevent Alzheimer's.

With the occasional grumble and a few ominious creaks, the Butchers on Bikes team’s epic attempt to reach Paris got underway this morning.

Setting off from Smithfield Market in London at 8am this morning, the team made it as far as Cock Lane, 200 yards away, before stopping for a rest.

Leading UK business-to-business publisher William Reed Business Media has reinforced its commitment to online publishing with the acquisition of Decision News Media, an internet publishing company dedicated to reporting breaking news for the global B2B industries

A Shropshire butcher beat off competition from five rivals in a cutting and display skills competition at the recent Beef Expo in Malvern.

A butcher’s shop in Leicester has been closed up after being severely criticised by health inspectors.

For the armchair cyclists among the industry, those who really would have joined the Butchers on Bikes’ audacious trek from London to Paris if only their chain hadn’t fallen off their bike – hope is at hand.

The BoB team has launched a special Butchers on Bikes blog to allow the entire industry to keep up to date with the teams activities, both in the run-up, and during the ride itself.

Structural changes will be under discussion when the BDCI holds its Annual General Meeting next month. The charity will also consider a change from being an unincorporated entity into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

An animal rights group has re-erected a controversial billboard proclaiming that “feeding kids meat is child abuse.”

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has unveiled the inflammatory poster in Coventry, the home of Leanne Salt - a the 30-stone woman dubbed “Britain’s fattest mother”, who has admitted feeding her kids nuggets and burgers since they were six months old.

A Yorkshire butcher is celebrating after being named Meat Buyer of the Year at the Pig & Poultry Marketing Awards in London last week.

A Lincolnshire butcher who created a pork pie wedding cake is hoping the idea might catch on. Roger Papworth, 65, with a butcher’s shop in Woodhall Spa, created a 10kg, four-tier, surprise cake for a local bride and groom.

Six lucky consumers will be enjoying the beautiful Welsh countryside after a visit to their local butcher, thanks to a competition organised by HCC – Meat Promotion Wales and the Carmarthenshire Farm and Country Holiday group.

A butcher in Scotland has achieved a whopping turnover after only taking over a business for one year.

Scotland’s top butchers will be sharpening their knives in preparation for a battle of skills this weekend in the finals of the Meat Skills Competition at this year’s SFMTA Scottish Meat Trades Fair.

Fundraising is under way for the Butchers on Bikes epic ride, with Aldi currently leading the field with a whopping £500 donation.

The charity bike ride will see a team of riders from across all areas of the meat industry make the trek from Smithfield Market in London to Rungis Market in Paris, totalling more than 186 miles.

A butchery competition has attracted a record number of entries despite the economic downturn. A total of 34 stores entered 280 products into the North Wales Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Meat Products, showing that butchers still innovating in the recession.

A Sunderland butcher is set to shut up shop after more than 30 years of business. Jimmy Shovlin, 64, has run his thriving butcher’s shop in Redmond Road, Red House, for 33 years.

Brighton Racecourse has challenged local Sussex butchers to produce a champion sausage for its 'Great British Raceday' on 7 June.

Requests for support from those in our industry that have fallen on hard times have risen significantly over recent months, the Butchers' and Drovers' Charitable Institution (BDCI) reports.

The Met Office are predicting that 2009 is ‘odds on for a barbecue summer’ which will be great news for butchers and sausage firms.

According to long-range forecasts, summer temperatures across the UK are likely to be warmer than average and rainfall near or below average for the three summer months.

A top national tabloid is offering a small business the chance to win a £20,000 cash prize, three years free banking and a chat with Theo Paphitis.

Butchers faced off against the bakers last week for the first national battle of the pie-makers. Unfortunately for the butchers, it was a baker that came out top in the final judging for the British Pie Awards, held in Melton Mowbray on 21 April.

An explosion in a butcher’s pie factory has left one man dead and injured six others. David Cole, 37, from Halifax, died when the blast at the Andrew Jones Pies factory in Huddersfield brought down part of the roof and started a fire.

Butchers across North Wales will be given the chance to show off their talents next week as they compete to be crowned the Supreme Sausage and Pie Champions.

With an increasing number of farm shops retailing quality meat, EBLEX has decided to launch a competition specifically for farm shop butchers.

UK butchers are being given the chance to compete against the best in Europe with the first European Deboning Championship.

A leading ingredients supplier is celebrating after landing a top European award. The Manchester Rusk Company (MRC) took two titles at the European Business Awards in Rome recently.

Butcher David Joinson has won his third best sausage award in a row at this year’s Chester Food & Drink Festival picking up the award at a gala dinner.

An overwhelming response has been received to the first-ever British Pie Awards, with over 500 entries flooding in from far and wide across the UK, organisers have claimed.

A Yorkshire butcher, expanding in a time of recession, has given his recipe for success – local produce and personal service.

Demand for locally produced meat is set to continue, with the latest research revealing that the UK market for regional and local food has increased by £1.3bn since 2003.

Butchers from across the South East flocked to the latest Regional Roadshow and Product Evaluation Event. Organised by BPEX, the event took place at the South of England Showground, Ardingly and drew 289 product entries from 43 butchers.

The Royal Show will be closing its doors for the final time this year, organisers have announced. This year’s show, held at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire from 7-10 July, will be the final event after the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) said the event was no longer economically viable.

The second National Butchers’ Week proved a corker, with butchers across the country taking part. We report on a selection of their activities.

A Berwick-upon-Tweed butcher is to run the London Marathon for the eighth and final time this month to raise money for a relative’s heart operation.

The Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association (SFMTA) has announced the Scottish Meat Trades Fair will be held in May in Perth in a one-day event.

Peak district butcher JW Mettrick & Son has beaten off the big guns to win ‘Best Online Butcher’ at the Good Housekeeping Food Awards 2009.

The dust is still settling, but this year’s National Butchers’ Week was bigger and better than ever.

Butchers need to ensure their food safety is first-rate, following the outcome of the recent inquiry into the South Wales E.coli outbreak.

A Liverpool butcher has failed in his bid to prove he was cheated out of more than £2 million by Somerfield.

Two of Merseyside’s oldest established independent butchers have merged. G A Johnson and Sons, based in Maghull, and JE Cook Butchers from Rainford are, from today, trading as Cook & Johnson Butchers.

More than £172,000 has been raised for meat industry charities in the last year, it was announced this week. The total was declared by the outgoing Festival Chairman of the Butchers’ and Drovers’ Charitable Institution, Graham Roach, in his final act before handing over to his successor, Bernard Hoggarth, at the charity’s annual lunch at Butchers’ Hall, London

Students at a West Yorkshire school have prepared food to be tasted by their dinner ladies in a role swap exercise that’s been voted a sizzling success.

France’s finest butchers, chefs and food writers put English butchery techniques under the spotlight during a recent visit to London organised by AHDB Meat Services.

The sum of money raised over the past year by the Butchers' and Drovers' Charitable Institution (BDCI) will be announced at a lunch at Butcher's Hall in London on Monday (30 March).

A Norfolk butcher is finally to retire - after 50 years in the trade.

A butcher's shop in Coventry has been warned it could face a £10,000 fine after an illegal immigrant was found working there.

West Yorkshire Police are asking for assistance to trace the owners of industrial machinery, including meat processing equipment, which was found in the county.

One of the best-known, award-winning butcher's in Wales has gone into voluntary liquidation.

An intrepid team of amateur cyclists from the meat sector, including MTJ's Ed Bedington, will be hitting the road this June in a bid to raise money for charity.

A nutritionist has cast doubt over the findings of a study that linked the consumption of fresh and processed red meat to increased risk of blindness.

Food safety bosses said they needed time to consider the conclusions of Professor Hugh Pennington's report into the South Wales E.coli outbreak.

Butchers, chefs, farms and mutton enthusiasts gathered at Lucknam Park Hotel in Chippenham for the last of this season's Mutton Renaissance Club open events.

This year's Wrexham Champion Sausage Competition has been won by Lewis's Farm Shop from Eyton after their traditional pork sausage beat off competition from butchers across the county.

Three British butchers have struck gold in an annual European competition run by Belgium's Les Compagnons de la Gastronomie Porcine (The Brotherhood of Pork Gastronomy).

A "cock-up" which left a butcher with a surplus of cheese eventually led to the creation of an award-winning product.

A locally-sourced sausage with a Continental twist won the top prize at this year's Great Hampshire Sausage, Pie & Ready Meal competition.

A Leamington Spa butcher is planning a summer escape after finding a winning competition ticket in his fresh beef delivery.

The Associated Craftbutchers of Ireland has warned consumers not to become reliant on fast and processed food to keep family budgets down.

Jamie Oliver's pig programme has already had a big impact on spending habits, according to the latest figures from TNS Worldpanel.

EBLEX has designed a new promotional kit to help butchers encourage customers to buy more beef and lamb through difficult trading times.

A butcher's shop on Anglesey has been voted the best traditional outlet in Wales.

A last-minute decision to submit some products to the BPEX East Midlands roadshow and product evaluation event proved to be a good one for butcher Lindsay Dawes.

Warwickshire-based catering butcher Aubrey Allen has had a busy year so far, with a visit from student chefs and two prizes for its sausages.

Meat processor Dunbia has sent four young butchers on their way to a successful career following the completion of a company training scheme.

Higher welfare chickens sales have soared in the past year despite desperate economic conditions, claimed Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) in a new commissioned survey.

A North West butcher has been fined a total of £2,000 after health officers described the premises as "dirty and dangerous."

A Labour MSP has become the second Scottish politician to back a butchers' campaign to get Stornoway Black Pudding special European regional protection.

A young award-winning Northern Irish butcher is winning plaudits again but this time for his haggis recipe from his shop in south west Scotland.

A top butcher has warned colleagues in the trade that they will have to carefully assess their businesses to get through the current economic downturn and credit crunch.

A Suffolk butcher has been fined a total of almost £6,000 after environmental health officers discovered putrid meat on the premises.

Butchers and bakers from across the UK will be hoping for success in the first British Pie Awards.

Around 21 butchers have already entered MTJ's annual Champion of Champions sausage-making competition, which is due to take place at Butcher's Hall in London on 27 October.