WCB Spring Newsletter 2026

By clicking on the title link above, IoM members are able to view the latest news from the Worshipful Company of Butchers.

London, November 11th 2025 – Ireland has won the World’s Best Steak award at the World Steak Challenge in London. In addition to this, Ireland landed a record-breaking 68 medals at the prestigious awards. With 24 gold medals, Ireland was the top-performing country overall, and won the grand prize for Irish grass fed steak. The awards for Ireland showcases the exceptional quality of Ireland’s grass-fed beef from heritage breeds.

Dawn Meats and Lidl won the coveted award of the World’s Best Steak for a grass fed Angus sirloin. The steak is sold by Lidl in Ireland and comes from cattle bred in Waterford.  Of the World’s Best Steak from Ireland, the judges said, “The tenderness is similar to the tenderloin but it also carries a wonderful taste similar to a ribeye”, adding that it “offers the best in terms of texture and flavour.”

Along with winning the World’s Best Steak, Dawn Meats secured 11 gold medals for Ireland at the competition.

Neil Lanigan, Commercial Manager with Dawn Meats said,

Dawn Meats is thrilled to have won World’s Best Steak at the World Steak Competition. We are so passionate about our beef so to win the award for Europe’s Best Steak and then to go on to win the World’s Best Steak is unbelievable. This award goes out to our farmers and producers. It’s a massive effort and this award is a huge win for everyone in Irish beef.

This award is an independent endorsement of our beef quality, reflecting the hard work of our team and the trust our customers place in us. Irish beef is full of flavour, tenderness and juiciness – qualities that chefs and retailers around the world have come to rely on.”

Robert Ryan, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland Chief Executive Officer said:

Together with our valued Irish supplier, Dawn Meats, we’re immensely proud our own-brand Irish grass-fed steak has been recognised as World’s Best Steak at the World Steak Challenge. At Lidl, providing the highest quality products at the best value on the market has always been our promise to our customers and this recognition underscores our strong commitment to providing world-class Irish produce at the best value on the market to shoppers across the country.

Speaking at the awards in London last night, Mark Zieg, Bord Bia’s Beef Sector Manager, said:

After three years of taking away a record number of medals in the World Steak Challenge, it is a fantastic win for Ireland to be awarded the World’s Best Steak award. Ireland’s performance at the World Steak Challenge is testament to the dedication and quality of our farmers and processors. Grass-fed beef from Ireland, produced under the Origin Green programme, continues to set the global standard for quality and sustainable production. These awards validate and reinforce Ireland’s position as a world leader in beef production.

The awards ceremony took place last night in London at the Smith & Wollensky restaurant, where ABP Food Group Ireland, Ashbourne Meats, Dawn Meats, Liffey Meats and Redmond Farm were among the finalists across the fillet, ribeye and sirloin grass fed steak categories.

Irish grass fed rib eye proved the most popular steak securing 12 gold medals at the competition, followed by sirloin which won eight and fillet which took home four. Among the standout Irish winners were Dawn Meats, Ashbourne Meats, and ABP Ireland, whose entries impressed judges with their marbling, tenderness, and flavour profiles.

The World Steak Challenge is now in its eleventh year, and is regarded as the ultimate benchmark for steak producers worldwide. This year’s judging panel, comprising over 60 international experts, assessed entries on both raw and cooked criteria. 304 medals were awarded in total with Ireland taking home the greatest medal haul of 68 gold, silver or bronze medals.

The World Steak Challenge, launched in 2015, is a recognised stamp of quality to support world-class steak production on a global platform, giving steak producers from across the world a unique opportunity to benchmark product quality, breed credentials and processing standards on the international stage.

The awards are organised by William Reed Business Media, the publisher behind the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The World Steak Challenge gives steak producers and suppliers the opportunity to showcase their product quality, breed credentials and processing standards on an international stage.

For more information on Ireland’s award-winning beef and the Origin Green programme, visit www.bordbia.ie.

World Steak Challenge medallists can be found here:

The Institute of Meat and Worshipful Co. of Butchers Annual Awards will take place at Butchers Hall, London, on 26 February 2026. Applications are now invited from apprentices, training providers, and employers to be recognised in these prestigious annual awards, a longstanding highlight in the meat industry calendar.

The Prizegiving is a day of celebration – where exceptional achievement is applauded before an audience of fellow award winners and meat industry professionals. Since its inception, over a thousand apprentices have been granted awards at the event, many then progressing to senior roles within their organisations or the wider industry.

Achieving a category award not only inspires and motivates but also enables award winners to raise their profiles, by fostering introductions to a network of high achievers. What’s more, an award win can generate valuable publicity for individuals and organisations alike.

So, if you have a rising star in your midst, or believe your company delivers the very best industry training programme, don’t delay! For more information about the IoM Prizegiving, or to enter, either download an entry form at www.instituteofmeat.org or email Sheryl Horne at info@instituteofmeat.org.

The closing date for nominations is 31^st December 2025.

For further details please read the 2026 NOMINATIONS-CRITERIA-FOR-PROVIDERS

If you wish to put forward someone in your business download the CANDIDATES NOMINATION FORM  (please note this file opens into a word file where you can fill in your details, then save the form to your computer, and send along with any other supporting files to shorne@instituteofmeat.org )

Best of luck to all candidates.

Award Winners 2025

Time has flown since my appointment as Chief Executive back in April. For those readers who I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting it seems a good time to introduce myself properly and share a few of my plans and aspirations for the Institute of Meat.

Continue reading →

The Battle of the Butchers 2025 was held at the Great Yorkshire Show 8^th to 11^th July.  Organised by Danny Upson, Sales & Marketing Director for Dalziel Ltd, the competition was a huge success, featuring apprentices on day one and pairs of experienced butchers on days two and three.  The overall winners being Radford Butchers who were the 2024 defending champions.

The Institute of Meat was invited to organise judging criteria and the judges all of whom are current members.

KEITH FISHER (Head Judge) – Known for his awe-inspiring knowledge and experience, Keith is a director of the Institute of Meat. His passion for the craft and dedication to promoting excellence in butchery make him a natural choice to lead the judging panel.

ROGER KELSEY – a veteran in the London butchery scene. With his wealth of experience and past role as CEO of the national craft butchers, Roger brings a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in bringing the absolute best to customers’ plates.

VIV HARVEY – world-renowned butcher and demonstrator. With his international experience and undeniable skill, Viv is a true force to be reckoned with. His passion for showcasing the art of butchery through captivating demonstrations is unparalleled.

DAVID GIGLI – past president of the National Craft Butchers and business owner of Gigli’s Butchers & Bakers in St. Annes.

Judges, left to right, Keith Fisher, Roger Kelsey, Viv Harvey, David Gigli

The Institute of Meat is proud and privileged to be associated with this event which involved the high level of practical butchery skills that were demonstrated to the farming community that attended the show.

Secretary General of the International Meat Secretariat (IMS) Dr Phil Hadley was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as part of the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.

Hadley, who was international market development director at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) before joining IMS, was awarded the MBE for his services to international trade in agriculture.

Commenting on his award, Hadley said: “It’s a tremendous honour to have been recognised for my role in securing market access and creating trade opportunities for UK farmers and food producers. Being able to export is an absolute must for the red meat sector to balance the carcass and secure high value opportunities overseas, while also underpinning livestock values for producers.

“I’m delighted to have played a part in driving export growth over many years, working with both industry and Government, and I am honoured to receive this award.”

Also appearing on the honours list was Donald Morrow, head of dairy, pigs, poultry and crops branch, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), for his services to the agriculture industry and to scouting in Northern Ireland.

Other members of the food and agriculture industries who have been recognised this year include:

• Andrew James Richardson, chair of the Food and Drink Wales Board. MBE for services to the food and drink sector.
• Dr Kulin Kantilal Patel, veterinary advisor for International Trade, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. OBE for services to animal health and to international trade.
• Geoffrey Sansome, lately head of Agriculture at Natural England. MBE for services to farming and the voluntary sector.
• Paul Caldwell, CEO of Rural Payments Agency. CBE for services to agriculture and to rural areas.
• Richard Ikin, founder of the Young Farmer Development Award. MBE for services to farming, agriculture and industry.

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:

Award Winners 2025

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.

Champion Apprentice Laurissa Barriball with The Master, John Allton Jones

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:

Master Butchers 2025

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.

Bill Jermey, Pam Brook and John Allton Jones

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.

By clicking on the link below, IoM members are able to view the latest news from the Worshipful Company of Butchers.

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