Independent local butchers reaping benefits of horsemeat scandal

Liam's Quality Meats

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The horsemeat scandal is boosting business at independent Rochdale butchers as shoppers are losing confidence in supermarkets.

With four more products found to contain quantities of horse meat this week, people are flocking to their local butcher for their meat supply instead.

Liam Bell, of Liam’s Quality Meats, Littleborough, has seen business booming at his Harehill Road shop and also online.

“My trade is about 35% up,” he revealed.

“I’ve got new faces coming into the shop and a lot more people looking at the website and ordering online.

“Everything here is local, about eight miles away, and goes straight from the farm, straight to here.

“People just don’t trust supermarkets anymore and long may it continue!”

Andrew Lord, of Lords of Middleton, has noticed a similar effect in his shop too and believes people have learned to love the high street again.

“It’s had a fantastic effect on us,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic and I know a lot of other local butchers are reporting more people are going to them.

“There’s a lot of people coming back to the high street.

“People know where we get our beef from - they see the wagon every week.

“People are pleasantly surprised by the cost too. They come expecting it to be more expensive but the fact is that supermarkets have put prices up so much there’s now nothing between us.”

Richard Stansfield, of Deckers - who own The Royal Toby and The Crimble restaurants - supplying meat from their own butchery division, believes sourcing meat locally builds customer trust.

“We can look our guests in the eye and say, we are proud to offer top quality meat and we know what is in it and where it came from,” he said.

Rochdale Council Facilities Management, which provides school meals across the borough, also moved this week to reassure pupils and parents their meals were ‘horse-free’.

“Facilities Management would like to provide reassurance that the meat used in producing our school meals is supplied in accordance with the highest standards of traceability and quality assurance,” a spokesperson said.

Local butchers