Archers fans will know that the current storyline has been featuring the fictional abattoir, Casey Meats, much more prominently in recent episodes. What you may not know is how much research goes into depicting it.
BMPA is often called upon to help with this background research and David Lindars, BMPA’s Technical Operations Director and IoM Executive Committee Member, appeared on this week’s Archers Podcast to give a deeper insight into our industry.
To hear the podcast, click here.
In addition to applauding the achievements of exceptional individuals and organisations, the Institute of Meat and Worshipful Company of Butchers had further reason to celebrate today. The Butcher Standard Apprenticeship, launched here in Butchers Hall a decade ago, has been formally updated ‘future proofing’ industry-wide butchery skills for the next generation of butchery apprentices.
Over 140 guests gathered to see apprentices, training providers and employers involved in the award-winning apprenticeship receive their prizes, presented by Keith Fisher (F.Inst.M), Chief Executive of the Institute of Meat together with John Allton Jones, Master of The Worshipful Company of Butchers.
In total, twelve awards were presented to the following worthy winners:
| WINNER | AWARD | EMPLOYER | PROPOSER |
AWARD SPONSOR |
| Mea Iliffe | Best New Apprentice | Ringrose Butchers | Crosby Management Training | Windsor Food Machinery |
| Daniel Powell | Best Retail Butchery Apprentice | Priors West Lynn | Poultec | National Craft Butchers |
| Kate Bleach | Best Independent Retailer Meat Apprentice |
Grange Farm | Plumpton College | Dalziel Ltd. |
| Lewis Hartley | Best In-Store Multiple Retailer Butchery Apprentice | Morrisons PLC | Remit Training | IoM (Paul Edkins Memorial Cup) |
| Luca McDougall | Best Meat Processing Apprentice | Cranswick Country Foods |
Bishop Burton | British Meat Processors Association |
| Adil Nadeem | Best Abattoir Worker/Apprentice | Morrisons PLC | Workforce Training & Development | ABP Food Group |
| Eimear Hunter | Best Apprentice Showing Management Potential in a Manufacturing Environment |
ABP Food Group | CAFRE | Worshipful Company of Poulters |
| Laurissa Barriball |
Best Meat Apprentice Showing Real Management Potential | Brian Etherington Meat Company | MEAT Ipswich | Oakfield Foods Ltd. |
| Patrick Kelly | Lord Graham Endeavour Award |
Days of Ashwell Ltd |
MEAT Ipswich | IoM (Kenneth Jenkins Cup) |
| ABP Master Butcher Training Programme | Best Company Training Scheme |
ABP Food Group | Institute of Meat | |
| MEAT Ipswich Ltd |
Best Meat Training Provider |
WCB (Fred Mallion Bowl) |
The category winners each received a cheque for £250, a framed certificate and a year’s free membership of the Institute of Meat.
The most prized award, ‘Champion Meat Apprentice of the Year’, went to Laurissa Barriball of the Brian Etherington Meat Company. Laurissa received a winner’s trophy and certificate, a year’s free membership of the IoM and an additional cash prize of £500. The judges were impressed with Laurissa’s interest in developing value added meat products and desire to pass on her skills to future apprentices.
Commenting on the prizegiving, Fisher said,
‘We had a record number of nominations this year, which along with our revitalised butchery apprenticeship is a real indication of the enthusiasm and confidence surrounding butchery today. I’m only sorry we couldn’t award more apprentices. The standard of applicants was superb – it grows stronger every year.’
Also celebrated on the day was the awarding of 13 new Institute of Meat accredited Master Butchers. All have successfully completed the Institute of Meat’s rigorous assessment process and now qualify to use the Master Butcher post nominal letters, MB.Inst.M. The newly recognised Master Butchers are:
| Daniel McQueen (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| James Brindley (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| John Bye (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Shaun Noble (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Shane Morley (MB.Inst.M) | Booker Group |
| Scott Edney (MB.Inst.M) | ABP Beef |
| Harry Pritchard (MB.Inst.M) | ABP Beef |
| Martin Player (MB.Inst.M) | Oriel Jones |
| Shaun Jones (MB.Inst.M) | Oriel Jones |
| Robert Powell (MB.Inst.M) | Dunbia |
| Paul Nicholson (MB.Inst.M) | Bishop Burton College |
| George Clapham (MB.Inst.M) | Dunbia |
| Martin Neely (MB.Inst.M) | Highland Meats |
Pam Brook, past editor of Meat Management Magazine, was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute of Meat for her services to the meat industry over many years.
Reflecting on the day, Bill Jermey, Chairman of the Institute of Meat, concluded,
‘The British meat industry has to adapt constantly to meet the changing demands of consumers. To do that we need the right training, the right people and the right mindset. That’s what we are celebrating today – we have it all within this room.’
For more information about the prizegiving or how to nominate an apprentice, please contact Sheryl Horne at the Institute of Meat, info@instituteofmeat.org
To find out more about the updated butchery apprenticeship and end-point assessment visit FDQ.org.uk. or email fdq@FDQ.org.uk.
The countdown has begun for a landmark event in the butchery industry. On June 30th, 2025, the first-ever British Butchery Awards will take place, offering a grand stage to celebrate the best in the field. Organized by the National Craft Butchers, these awards will honour the finest talents in our industry across the UK.
Entry Categories
We are inviting entries for the title of Best Large & Small Butchery Business in regions throughout the UK, including Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, North of England, South of England, and the Midlands.
Entries will have initial judging before the finalists from each category will receive a mystery shop. With the winner announced at the Black-tie awards dinner held at The Belfry in Nottingham!
The evening will also see the announcement of the nation’s Best Wholesale/Catering Butcher, Best Young Butcher and Best Butchery Supplier, along with the Special Recognition Award.
The British Butchery Awards promise a spectacular evening celebrating the craft of butchery and offering excellent networking opportunities with industry leaders, supporters, and peers.
Eleanor O’Brien, Managing Director of National Craft Butchers, expressed the organisation’s enthusiasm:
We are blessed with some of the most talented butchers in the world. The British Butchery Awards offers them the chance to have their moment in the limelight and be recognised by their fellow butchers
How to Get Involved
Entries open Monday 6th January 2025 – further details here
Whether you are a seasoned butcher or a rising star in the industry, this is your moment to shine and shout about our fantastic industry. Join us in celebrating the passion, skill, and dedication of the butchery industry. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of history at the inaugural British Butchery Awards!
Stay updated on entry details and announcements, follow @nationalcraftbutchers & @britishbutcheryawards on social media and bookmark British Butchery Awards .
The event is supported by industry organisations Scottish Craft Butchers, The Q Guild, and the Institute of Meat.
With thanks to all our sponsors
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
National Craft Butchers
Email: info@nationalcraftbutchers.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1892541412
By clicking on the link below, IoM members are able to view the latest news from the Worshipful Company of Butchers.
Nominations are now open for the prestigious Institute of Meat and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prizegiving which rewards outstanding butchery and abattoir apprentices, as well as recognising the excellent training providers and company training schemes that support them.
Do you have a butchery apprentice in your midst who is an absolute star?
Someone who goes above and beyond the day job to succeed in their apprenticeship or is overcoming adversity to achieve their goals?
If so, the Institute of Meat wants to hear from you.
Who knows? In February 2025 the applause could be for them, as they step forward to receive their award, and their £250 prize of course!
Since the Butcher Standard apprenticeship launched back in 2015 around 1800 apprentices have achieved their butchery apprenticeship or are currently on programme. The apprenticeship is credited with having revitalised the profession and helped restore the mastery of the craft.
One of the most special events in the meat industry calendar, the Annual Prizegiving is loved by all, including royalty, as in previous years HRH The Princess Royal has attended to present the awards. Set in the iconic home of Butchers Hall in London, it is sure to inspire every apprentice and offers great networking opportunities for all that attend.
With twelve categories to choose from, there’s an opportunity for everyone – whether working in a retail butchers, a meat processing facility, an abattoir or a supermarket.
So, don’t delay – Nominate your apprentice online here today
Or for more information email shorne@instituteofmeat.org
The UK Lions squad for World Butchers Challenge in Paris 2025 has been revealed today. Nineteen butchers from around the country have secured a coveted place in the squad, after being chosen from dozens of applicants to join the UK Lions. Continue reading
Echoing a key theme of National Apprenticeships Week, the Institute of Meat (IoM) and Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB) Prizegiving this year demonstrated better than ever before how the meat industry is a welcoming place for all. Continue reading
National Craft Butchers are delighted to reveal that Craft Butcher magazine has been named as one of only four finalists in the ‘Magazine of the Year’ category of the Trade Association Awards. Continue reading
A new report issued by think tank, The Social Market Foundation (SNF), whilst welcome, only highlights something The Institute of Meat have been doing for a decade, according to their Chief Executive, Keith Fisher. Continue reading