L ast month, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) went ahead with its controversial plans to publish the names of meat plants it deemed a ‘cause for concern’. This has prompted a slew of furious comments from the industry, which said that the move had been badly handled and would lead to a confusing ‘league table’ of plants, based on subjective, inconsistent audits and historic information.


The mince market is not just about beef and lamb. Pork mince, although a small player in the total market, is starting to gain popularity and market share.

Spaghetti bolognese is off the menu,” screamed the Daily Mail last September. The paper claimed that the price of 
value-tier mince had broken the “psychologically important” £1 barrier for the first time in two years, with a 25% increase in pack prices making family staple spaghetti bolognese “too expensive” for British families. 


Ingredients are increasingly becoming the building blocks of a successful business for many butchers. The days of a counter filled only with steaks, joints and traditional meat cuts are a long way behind us and, these days, a visit to a butcher’s shop invariably involves a multi-coloured experience, as butchers adapt their range to meet the changing tastes and trends of globe-trotting, celebrity chef-enthused consumers.

In October, the European Parliament adopted a motion aiming to tackle antimicrobial resistance by reducing the use of antibiotics both in human and veterinary medicine. Two weeks later, the Save our Antibiotics Alliance, composed of Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), the Soil Association and Sustain, sparked criticism with a report that called for a 50% cut in antibiotics in the farming sector by 2015.

Refrigeration can account for as much as 70% of a meat plant’s energy consumption, particularly in abattoirs, so inefficiencies can have a huge impact on a business’ energy bills and carbon footprint. With another big hike in energy prices announced by the major suppliers this summer and a 15% reduction in the discount on the Climate Change Levy introduced in April, things are only set to get worse. But refrigeration does not have to cost the earth. With some well-placed investment and careful maintenance, it is possible to reduce energy bills and environmental impact, from the kill right through to the shop floor.

The first thing you need to decide when choosing a van is whether to buy new or second-hand. The biggest factor here is likely to be budget, so think carefully about exactly what you can afford. If you can stretch to a new van, you will have the benefit of choosing from the latest vehicles on the market, which are generally more fuel-efficient, safe and comfortable to drive then older models. New vans also tend to look smarter, which can speak volumes about your business.

Appreciated for flavour, value and nutritional qualities, poultry is one of the most popular meats you can find. David Lishman, from Lishman’s of Ilkley in Yorkshire, explains that every customer who walks into his shop buys at least one chicken product. “It’s very rare to meet people who don’t like chicken,” he adds.


No matter the weather, or the season, sausages remain a firm favourite when it comes to consumers’ plates. Be it a summer barbecue, or a hearty winter stew, sausages retain a versatility that few meat products can match.

The return of MTJ’s Butchers’ Fair was a great success, with hundreds of butchers descending on Bolton Arena for the event’s northern premier last Sunday 
(1 October).

Specialist solicitor Catherine Henney, from Eversheds, highlights five common pitfalls that 
health-and-safety lawyers frequently see

Beef has been in for a tough time of late, garnering negative press from the anti-salt, anti-meat lobby and subject to tightening global supply and rising prices.

When Aubrey Allen of Leamington Spa had a shop refit in April this year, getting the point-of-sale features right was a priority. Simple, informative POS, such as posters and recipe leaflets, are effective tools for boosting sales, but in addition Aubrey Allen decided to opt for a new printed window display, a dry-ageing beef cabinet, and a flat-screen TV showing different products and services.

With the Glorious Twelfth hoving into view, thoughts are beginning to turn towards heath and moorland as the season beckons for that most traditional of produce, wild game.

Like Henry Ford’s remark that customers could have a Model T Ford in any colour as long as it was black, the choice of serve-over counter available used to be limited to a single colour, and the simple construction of a flat glass-fronted cabinet.

Pork is the world’s number one meat and, not so long ago in the UK, there were even butchers who specialised entirely in pigmeat products.

It was the year 1992 that the Queen declared as her annus horribilis. And while the past 12 months have not quite been that for the abattoir sector, they also fall far short of  being an annus mirabilis - or ‘year of wonder’ too. To some, the industry is beseiged from all sides.

Two glorious Bank Holiday weekends have got the barbecue season off to a blazing start, offering plentiful opportunities for butchers to add value and gain a competitive edge, with expert advice and greater spontaneity in their offering.  

Pies and pasties have proven to be a lucrative investment again this year for high street butchers continuing to ride out the recession.

Three years ago, Shaun Fairweather refitted his butcher’s shop in Mirfield, West Yorkshire with new counters and decided to stock a range of Continental deli products alongside traditional cooked meats. Customers had been asking for salamis, chorizo and other charcuterie, and the new counters gave him the space to stock them.

Virtually everyone loves bacon — even vegetarians will acknowledge it as a guilty secret — so it is no surprise the total market is worth more than £1.27bn. However, butchers account for only a tiny fraction of those sales, with a market share of around 3.5% and value of £32.5m a year.

The sky is the limit when it comes to building a new shop or fitting out an existing one, but you do not have to spend a fortune to make noticeable improvements. There are currently some new shop builds under way that are costing more than £1m, but other butchers have transformed their existing shops for just a few thousand pounds by changing just one or two things.

It's the economy, stupid!' was the catchphrase Bill Clinton used to beat off George Bush Sr in the presidential elections of 1992. And, proving that nothing is new and that Gordon Brown failed to end the days of boom and bust, as we stand on the cusp of 2011, it seems the economy is the issue that will again shape the next 12 months.

Are you fearing chaos this Christmas, with turkeys arriving all at once? Or perhaps you are worried about sales in the current downturn? Here are 10 tips to make your festive period truly the best time to sell poultry

Say what you like about the European Union, but food and drink producers throughout its reach have been snapping up the geographical indicators: Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed. These defend the names of regional foods across the continent and Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, Welsh lamb and Orkney beef are just a few of the UK meat products that enjoy protection.