Federation president offers support

09 July, 2012

Butchers are facing tough times on the high street, but help is at hand in the form of the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders (NFMFT), its president has announced.

NFMFT members are facing difficult times, aggressive competition, high wholesale prices and overbearing enforcement, said Michael Beaumont, but he added they would continue to get support from the federation.

Michael, who farms in Cambridgeshire and supplies his Fulbourn shop, run by his son James, was addressing members at the NFMFT’s annual general meeting near Cambridge last week.

He welcomed the government’s recent rejection of the Food Standards Agency’s full cost recovery proposals and reaffirmed the federation’s opposition to the cross-contamination guidelines and a promise to continue to work toward a political solution with the Country Landowners and Business Association (CLA) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

With the commitment to reintroducing the Premier Butcher Scheme during his term, Michael added that members will be offered the opportunity to improve their knowledge, aid customer retention and increase sales.

He finished his address mentioning newly introduced training courses, an upgrade of the ‘be a butcher’ website and support for a team in this year’s International Young Butcher Competition.