Sales at butchers' shops up on 2020 at £438m

Butchers' rose in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many adapting to offer new delivery or click and collect services. Analysis by Farmers Guardian for our #FarmingCAN campaign shows it is a trend that shows no sign of slowing down - driven by a desire among consumers to eat healthy, locally produced food.During 2020 (52 weeks ending December 27, 2020), the total spend on beef, lamb and pork in GB butchers' shops stood at £338.5 million - an increase of 28 per cent on 2019 (Source: Kantar).Of the red meat categories, lamb experienced the largest increase in spend of 35 per cent on the year, while spend on pork increased by 28 per cent and spend on beef increased by 26 per cent. During the first 12 weeks of lockdown this year, British shoppers spent an extra £45m at butchers' shops compared to the same period the previous year (Source: Kantar).In the 52 weeks ending August 8, 2021, butchers' sales of?red?meat totalled £438m, highlighting the trend for buying local is one that is set to continue.Elwen Roberts, of Hybu Cig Cymru, said a number of factors have encouraged people to shop more often at their local butcher.Ms Roberts said: "This includes an increased awareness of the origin of their fresh meat, wanting to support local businesses, visiting large supermarkets less frequently, and the availability and choice on offer at butchers' shops."While the pandemic continues to pose challenges to the red meat industry, consumer behaviours and attitudes have changed since the beginning of the pandemic as shoppers have greater concern and interest in provenance, sustainability, animal welfare and health." In the field Dafydd Davies, Cardigan, Ceredigion Third-generation butcher Dafydd Davies oversees Dewi James a'i Gwmni, a family business in Cardigan, Ceredigion, which has supplied the catering trade and retail with local prime quality meat for more than 70 years. Twenty-five per cent of its produce is sourced through the family farm, with local supplier Teifi Valley Farms and Newcastle Emyln auction mart supplementing meat supplies. Mr Davies said without these vital relationships with farmers and the local auction mart, meat would have to be brought in from afar, making it difficult to sustain their farm-to-fork ethos. The Covid-19 pandemic saw a change in how the business operated as well as consumers' shopping habits. Mr Davies said: "We could not just be a butcher, we had to offer more than that so we redirected a lot of our business online and have since built up a good range of customers who buy weekly and rely on delivery. "During the pandemic, customers were sticking to seasonal meats, but demand for lamb grew significantly in the last 12 months. "Steaks were also popular, as there will never be a time where people turn their noses up at a steak."We are also seeing people coming into the shop two to three times a week, rationalising how much meat they eat so quantity per purchase is lessening and not many people have got chest freezers like they used to." Nigel Ovens, Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde A butcher for 25 years, Nigel Ovens runs McCaskie's, a family business established in 1935 which serves local communities with 100 per cent Scottish meat ‘reared with passion, matured to perfection and prepared with pride'. The shop's native breed beef is bought from farmers in the Highlands and Scottish Borders through a wholesaler, with lamb sourced from an Orkney farm and pork from across Scotland. But Mr Ovens said his move to native breeds of beef was not responsible for driving customers through the shop's doors. "Instead, customers choose to shop with us because they trust me to buy the right product, which they are happy with," Mr Ovens said. "Having a middleman helps take away some of the hassle so it is important to have that good relationship with a wholesaler." Up He added business was up since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the shop adapting its opening hours to cater to demand. "Our website turnover doubled in one year while shop sales dropped a little," he said. "But the average spend per customer went up, with people buying more in case further restrictions came into place as well as eating more volume due to families being at home together. "Steak and roast sales increased as well as value-added products, such as stir-fry meals."New customers have stuck with us so we are very lucky but our web business has dropped back as expected, with people returning to their normal shopping habits. "But those that have stayed are looking for reliable, consistent products which are good value for money as well as a quality service." Mark Turnbull, Turnbulls of Alnwick, NorthumberlandEstablished in 1880, Mark Turnbull is a fifth generation butcher working alongside his son and daughter to showcase the best of Northumberland's produce at their town centre shop and new state-of-the-art food hall. Sixty-five per cent of beef and lamb is purchased through Acklington Auction Mart, with the rest coming from local farmers, a relationship Mr Turnbull branded as crucial.Mr Turnbull said: "Farmers know what we are after and are able to get feedback and in return we help communicate their stories to consumers. "People's interest in food has been changing in the last decade, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic but I am unsure whether it is here to stay. "People will always be price conscious and as eating habits go back, the issue of traceability gets lost. "That said, there will always be a market for British high-quality meats and we try and do our best to educate consumers about where it has come from and engage in conversations." He added it was difficult to judge how successful the business had been compared to pre-pandemic levels due to the opening of the food hall in December 2019, but said their location in a tourist hotspot has seen a massive uptake throughout the summer. "Talking to butchers across the UK, it seems everyone has done well and has felt supported by the public.