Butchers are 'sounding board for the community' but now they need a voice
We spoke to Errol Lenaghan of Bawn Meats who had his say on an industry feeling the pinch!
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This week we sat down and discussed the demise of the independent, standalone butcher, following two high-profile closures in recent weeks. Kellie spoke to Errol Lenaghan of Bawn Meats about what life is really like for the man in the striped apron.
Errol, who is preparing for his fourth Christmas serving the community in Richhill, is upfront about the fact that he and many others in the industry are feeling the pinch. He also has his thoughts on the future of the industry and how it can survive.
First and foremost, Errol made it clear, he had ‘a lot to say’ so, naturally, we start at the very beginning.
But before that, we will bring you the nuts and bolts of Friday’s newsletter. Errol’s article continues further on down this newsletter.
Headlines
📖 How Armagh man Mark wrote a future for himself after mental health struggles
🏟️ Portadown FC hope to score approval as plans now submitted to transform Shamrock Park
🪧 Watch: Non-teaching staff walk out of schools in row over pay
💷 £2.4m Greenway overspend to be covered by council
👍 Two major Newry apartment blocks approved
⚖️ Man caused elderly couple’s deaths by failing to stop at red light on Northway in Portadown
💔 School tribute to ‘shining light’ Dylan as funeral details confirmed for tragic teen
🧁 Popular Armagh bakery changes hands after 70 years in Johnston family
🚑 Man taken to hospital following M1 collision
⚖️ PPS again refuse to send sexual case to higher court despite judge concerns
🗞️ Two charities set to benefit from Richard’s second trip ‘Down Memory Lane in Dungannon’
🚧 Major resurfacing scheme to begin on Portadown Road in Tandragee
🚓 PSNI officers left ‘badly shaken’ after vehicle rammed in Newry
🥓 New ‘Taste of Philly’ takeaway and cafe planned for Lurgan town centre
🥃 Two women arrested after drugs, whiskey and stun gun seized by police outside Newry
🏥 Newry nurse reveals Trust’s ‘shocking’ £150M bill for banking and agency nurses during Covid
💔 South Armagh community in mourning following untimely passing of Micéal Lynch
News from elsewhere..
⚖️ Gilford paedophile, Neil Mooney, was so sure he wasn’t going to jail for sexually assaulting his stepdaughter – who has previously waived her right to anonymity – that he drove himself to court this week, it has been reported. However, the judge handed the 38-year-old a 14-month sentence, half of which will be spent behind bars.
Armagh Jobs
🆕 Re-Gen Waste have several vacancies available.
🆕 Armagh Rural Transport are recruiting a Manager.
🆕 Armagh City Hotel require Temporary Seasonal Staff and Fitness Instructor.
✅ KonFloor Armagh are recruiting for a Cleaner.
✅ Southern Area Hospice require Medical Officers.
✅ Armagh I / Armagh Jobs require a Sales and Marketing Executive.
✅ Simon Community require an Accommodation and Community Support Worker.
✅ Mount Charles have several vacancies available.
🛎️ If you have a job and want to advertise it to 40,000 daily users on www.armaghjobs.com and www.armaghi.com, as well as more than 8,000 people on this newsletter and our 100,000 social media followers, get in touch.
Job Profile
When Go Coffee announced their grand opening just two months ago in Banbridge, a new team of enthusiastic go-getters were there to open the doors and create the pours. Leading the team is Manager, Fionnualla Cox.
Notice Board
🏥 Armagh Street Collection | Friday and Saturday November 17 - 18 | A group of 20 local ladies are undertaking a street collection in Armagh this Friday and Saturday to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a registered charity which supports healthcare and education for Palestinians.
🫖 Celebrate ‘The Golden Teapot’ | The Charlemont Arms Hotel Armagh | Friday November 17 | 2.30pm - 4.30pm | In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support | Come join us for afternoon tea and help support a fantastic cause. World-famous Coffee Artist Wayne Wright has painted The Golden Teapot and Macmillan Coffee Logo especially for this event.
👕 Pre-Loved Market | Hosted by Second Hand Sal | Market House, Main Street, Middletown | Thursday December 7 | 6pm | Clothing, shoes and accessories. Raffles prizes on the night with all proceeds going to Alzheimer's NI.
🎄Armagh City Choir Christmas Concert | St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral | Friday December 8 | 7.30pm | £10 admission, pay at door or tickets available from choir members. The Christmas Festive period is approaching, and Armagh City Choir is preparing for its Annual Christmas Concert. “We may not be Santa’s Little Helpers, but we do our best to help create a festive spirit for Armagh city and surrounding areas.”
Want to include a free event listing to almost 8,000 of our newsletter readers? Get in touch by simply replying to this email or, if you haven’t received this via your inbox, email us at info@armaghi.com.
Thomas Street Methodist Portadown raise £300 for Tear Fund
The organisers of the Tear Fund Table Quiz in Thomas Street Methodist Church Hall on Friday, October 6 wish to thank all who supported the quiz, either by their attendance, financial support or those who provided prizes.
The total amount raised at the event was £300.
Thanks to: Richardsons Meats, Zio Restaurant, Fruitfield Filling Station Richhill, Perfect Blend, Tennyson's Decor Centre, JR McMahon, Brian Cornett Electrical, Willis Spar Annaghmore, Flowers By Sarah, Alan Wray and Co., Tesco Portadown, Portadown Market Traders, Rev. Jim Rea, Lyttle Treats, Handcrafts by H&L.
Butchers are 'sounding board for the community' but now they need a voice
“A bit of background into how butchery works is that, essentially, the meat industry is governed by the meat factories and the multinational supermarkets. They more or less set the prices.
“The supermarkets are working in volume and the meat factory will reduce the cost to the supermarket for the volume. This difference gets passed onto the high-street butcher, who simply has no need for the same quantity.
“The small butcher is really struggling. When the majority of customers are grappling between quality and price, most are happy with ‘alright’ quality if the price is right. With the cost of everything going up the customer can rarely afford anything else.”
One might expect this to be the obvious plight of the high-street butcher. Just like big chains are the scourge of the independent business, supermarkets are the thorn in the small butcher’s side. However… according to Errol, there’s a more pressing and less obvious issue at play.
“Electricity! That’s the key thing. It’s phenomenal. The cost of electric, above and beyond anything else, is killing the small butcher,” said Errol.
In a business that relies on constant cold temperatures, there is no feasible way to reduce the bill without effecting service.
Errol continued: “We are paying for Covid. The subsidies have all been withdrawn and we are left with these massively inflated bills. Tax, water, electric… we are paying through the nose!
“It’s no exaggeration to say that I am working to pay my energy bill. That’s the truth. If business was quiet, there is no way we would survive. I am very blessed to be a one-man band and to be well supported but I push hard to drive the business on. I can’t take my foot off the gas with it. It takes everything I’ve got to try and turn a profit.”
Then, comes the obvious question… what can be done?
“We need a voice,” pleads Errol. “Butchers have no voice. There is no functioning government to set a rate for energy or to lobby for help. Other industries have organisations that take issues forward on their behalf but, to my knowledge, butchers have no one.
“It’s like the high-street butcher is non-existent and without a voice, without someone to stand up for us and ask for support, the high-street butcher will be non-existent.”
Errol firmly believes that the role of the high-street butcher goes far beyond hand-trimmed sirloins and secret recipe stir-fries, he states: “We are the hub of the community.
“I know my customers, I know what’s going on in their lives. The butcher isn’t just a butcher, he’s a social worker and guidance counsellor. People tell you what’s going on in their lives and look to you for comfort, sometimes just a hug and I don’t mind giving that!
“For years I have been a sounding board for the community and happy to do it. I would do anything for anyone that asked it of me and I genuinely mean that. I know most butchers would say the same. You don’t get that at a multinational supermarket!”
Errol has been a butcher since 1990 and throughout those years, he has stayed the course, maintaining an impressive level of drive and determination, whilst all the while watching the margins progressively grow smaller.
Said Errol: “Things were better back then [in 1990] when you could buy the product cheaper but even then the industry had its troubles. It’s not well governed, there isn’t – and never was – a set rate for a butcher’s salary, for example.
“Throughout the years you watch as one industry gets impacted, like with crude oil going up in price, and then watch as it has a knock-on effect to what you do and to your profit margin. It’s just one thing after another with no end in sight.”
But, just as he has done for the last 30 years, Errol is determined to see it through and he has his own thoughts for the future of the industry…
“There is still a demand for a high-street butcher. We just need to diversify. We need to move more into food convenience. Make it simple for people. People now want handiness, ready meals and microwave dinners. If we can provide those things at an attractive price and also make a profit, I think that’s the future for butchery.”
Aside from meat, there is one thing a butcher has that everyone wants - knowledge. Errol said: “I ask people what they want and how many people they are cooking for, I can recommend portion sizes and cooking temperature, cooking times, tell them how to prep the meat or do it for them.
“I can portion out a lovely dinner for an elderly person living alone, give them a little chat and tell them how to get the most out of their meals. You can’t put a price on that!”