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.

Food safety bosses have been accused of "spin at its very worst" when it comes to claims over the reduction in meat inspection costs.

Pig farmers have reported combined losses of £27m over the festive period and are now appealing to retailers in the face of booming Christmas sales results.

It's our first issue of the New Year, so allow me to offer the customary greeting and wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed a profitable and relaxing festive period some of you may even have had a day off!

It would be easy to poke fun at the vegans who took part in the recent 'Don't Eat Animals' debate in London, so why not? Heather Mills, whose desperation to pursue some kind of post-Macca career as an animal rights activist shouldn't really be funny, but is, appears to have missed the point about evolution entirely.

Times may be tough and, according to the government, they're likely to get a lot tougher, but it's good to see the meat trade remaining resilient.

Pork has been riding high on the hog for the last 12 months, with cash-strapped consumers looking for a more affordable option within the red meat category. But with beef prices starting to tumble, have the days of pork bringing home the bacon come to an end?

This month sees the return of Butcher's Shop of the Year, and our search for the best butchery business of 2009 is now under way.

Consumers are being "conned" when it comes to local claims on beef in some restaurants, farmers have warned.

A 15-year-old boy has lost an arm following an accident at a butcher's shop in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

Butchers from north and south Wales went head-to-head at the Royal Welsh Show to battle for the title of All Wales champion across 12 product categories.

The very concept of organic meat suggests it should be available from all local butchers.