Whilst there are always fresh calls to encourage local communities across the country to support the businesses around them; it is clear that the supermarkets have always had a more significant share of the meat industry trade for consumers compared to local butchers.

According to FarmingUK, the recent pandemic has seen an increase in the sales of meat across the whole of the country. And interestingly, the majority of this increase was found in local independent butchers.

“Sales of beef, for instance, were up by 26.9% overall when compared to last year, but up by 49.1% at high street butchers

Farming UK, 2020

Whilst other meat markets may have lost out on trading to retail industries such as pubs and restaurants; many (like us) will have adapted to meet the increase in demand for public meat consumption. This has meant that although the industry has lost out in some areas, overall, local butchers and other meat producers have seen an increase in profits.

With supermarket delivery services struggling to cope with the demand during this time, many local food industries such as independent butchers have introduced their own delivery service, which has provided a lifeline for vulnerable customers in local communities.

How Burts Have Adapted

We’re thrilled at the news that local independent butchers have been supported through lockdown. As Burts are primarily a catering butcher, we have adapted to selling to our local community around us. We’ve introduced our own local home delivery service. For weeks we’ve been helping the vulnerable people in our area get a reliable source of meat and essential goods.

We’re still delivering high-quality British meat and produce to customers in Eastbourne, Bexhill, Cooden, Battle, Hastings, Polegate, and Hailsham. If you’d like to place an order, please visit our Home Delivery page. Even though people are getting out and about more, we are still seeing an up-turn in our meat sales. So we very much hope that this will continue, now our local customer base has been extended and they see the consistent quality and value Burts Butchers offers.