Butchery service ( a thank you)

[ButcherBoy76]

Good afternoon
last year I was thinking about starting up my own private butchery service. After posting a thread on this forum to gauge the appetite for this service and to get general feedback I am pleased to say my business will hopefully be up and running early next year.so I would just like to say thanks to everyone who contributed on the last thread your input helped me a lot.

 

[onesiedale]

Where are you going to be based?

 

[ButcherBoy76]

Where are you going to be based?

Central Scotland
Sorry can’t be more specific just now

 

[onesiedale]

Was at a PFLA meeting couple of weeks ago and one of the big issues many of them have is finding a good butcher to work with.
Your type of service may be of interest to many like that.
Good luck!

 

[ButcherBoy76]

Was at a PFLA meeting couple of weeks ago and one of the big issues many of them have is finding a good butcher to work with.
Your type of service may be of interest to many like that.
Good luck!

Hadn’t even heard of PFLA
just googled it definitely people I could work with

 

[Hilly]

Central Scotland
Sorry can’t be more specific just now

Will you do the slaughtering bit as well ? Will you come to the borders ?

 

[Bill dog]

I hope you do come down to the borders. And congrats and best of luck with it all !

 

[ButcherBoy76]

The slaughtering question was asked a lot when I was doing market research and undoubtedly there’s a big gap in the market for that service.

it was something I looked into but the start up cost would be astronomical bricks and mortar building more land needed and staff

I will be doing my business from a custom built butchery unit that’s F.S.A approved and only needs electricity and water supply
the handy thing about the unit is it’s mobile and could be moved with minimal cost.
If things don’t work out in my area then it sounds like there’s a market for it in the borders.

 

[topground]

The once a day farmer

has a recent video featuring on farm slaughter for home consumption. The service offered includes taking the carcasses to a cutting premises which only deals with home kill so no retail or wholesale. The processed cut and packed carcasses are then collected by the customer for their own consumption.
If you have the necessary slaughterman and butchery skills a business plan costing the vehicle, ABP disposal and premises and your time would give an indication of how competitive your service might be compared with a licensed slaughterhouse if one is available. The last bullock I had back from our only surviving small slaughterhouse cost me £400 not including transport and that was 3 years ago.
My understanding of meat inspection and food hygiene legislation is that there is nothing to prevent such a service being offered in the UK.
If I was considering offering such a service I would use the above video as an example of what could be done and ask the question to the Food Standards Agency along the lines of “ this is the service I propose to offer, there will be no retail or wholesale sales since the meat is all for the consumption of the owner of the animal and his or her family. Animal byproducts will be disposed of under the terms of the current regulations to xxxxxxx premises. If the FSA consider this to be illegal under current legislation please set out clearly why”
Or slightly more confrontational, “ this is what I am going to do , what are you going to do about it and under what legislation.?”

 

[Woolless]

The slaughtering question was asked a lot when I was doing market research and undoubtedly there’s a big gap in the market for that service.

it was something I looked into but the start up cost would be astronomical bricks and mortar building more land needed and staff

I will be doing my business from a custom built butchery unit that’s F.S.A approved and only needs electricity and water supply
the handy thing about the unit is it’s mobile and could be moved with minimal cost.
If things don’t work out in my area then it sounds like there’s a market for it in the borders.

The problem in the Borders is lack of slaughtering capacity. Galashiels was the last and shut several years ago. For reliable private kills now you're down to County Durham or along the M8. It's ridiculous, given the amount of stock in the area

 

[roscoe erf]

The problem in the Borders is lack of slaughtering capacity. Galashiels was the last and shut several years ago. For reliable private kills now you're down to County Durham or along the M8. It's ridiculous, given the amount of stock in the area

It’s not just a borders problem

 

[Woolless]

It’s not just a borders problem

It's strange that some areas seem very well catered for and others, nothing.