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What is a Butcher?

A butcher prepares different types of meats to sell either in their own butchers shop, at a market or at a butchers counter inside a larger supermarket.

Butchers normally sell, beef, pork, poultry, lamb, fish, seafood and other meat related products and accompaniments. Some of the specialist butchers also prepare their own meat products such as pies, burgers, sausages etc. The wider use of computers and the internet has changed the way people buy and sell their products and butchers are now selling their products via an online store.

The Butchers Profession

The work of every meat cutter or butcher usually includes trimming, boning and cutting meat products, controlling, ordering and purchasing stocks, serving their customers and advising them on how to cook or prepare meat, check the content and hygiene of meat and also receiving of deliveries. Butchers and meat cutters also tie, lace and shape roasts and other meat, fish and poultry products and even help to wrap shellfish, fish, poultry and meat. Generally, in a retail store these butchers will prepare special displays of shellfish, poultry, meat and fish.

A Butchers Working Conditions

In a large food retail outlets and meat packing plants, butchers normally work in large cold storage rooms fully equipped with conveyors and machines. In some of the small retail stores these butchers work in a space behind the counter. In order to avoid bacterial and viral infections, normally these work areas for butchers must always be hygienic and sanitary. Meat cutters and butchers quite often work in certain rooms which are refrigerated in order to prevent meat, fish, pork or fish from spoiling and that are wet from fat and blood. The cold temperatures in the refrigerated rooms along with standing for longer periods make the work for most of the butchers tiring.

While butchers are open to physical injuries from working with power tools, cleavers and knives while preparing high quality and nutritious meat cuts most professional butchers will be familiar in the safe handlings of such equipment. The rhythmic nature of a butchers can lead increasing muscle strain and pain disorders. In order to address these work-related risks a butcher may have to adjust his work loads, redesigned their tools and tasks.

A Butchers Earnings

Earnings for meat cutters and butchers are said to be low compared to all other occupations. In the year 2000, the usual yearly earnings for butchers were almost 25,100 dollars in comparison to the average overall labor market which was around 32,100 dollars. Those butchers who worked for a full year and full time had average yearly earnings of around 34,600 dollars that was almost 22 percent below the usual earnings for all the occupations. Butchers have a medium sized working group with a calculated 2,500 workers in the year 2001 which was a decline from the year 1990 which stated 2,750 workers. However, it is being expected to have a growth for the coming years.

Only six percent of meat cutters and butchers are self employed however, industry sources anticipate self employment to enhance in significance. The section of full time working butchers is about the same as the usual for all the occupations. Industry sources expect that the proportion of part time working butchers will even increase. At five percent the jobless rate for this particular occupation is low compared to the all other occupations. Only two or three meat cutters or butchers actually work throughout the whole year, a percentage which is higher than the normal. Yet, continuing patterns of holiday without doubt affect the working hours in some of the weeks for most of the meat cutters and butchers.

One of the main seasonal patterns in this business is the reducing speed of work during the months of January and February when most of the consumers do not spend on these products due to post-holiday season. More than 93 percent of all the meat cutters and butchers are employed in retail industry. Where as only four percent work in wholesale industry and the remaining are employed in food related services. In fact, this particular occupation has a higher than the usual proportions of male workers with only 36 percent of female workers do work in this type of profession. This actually evaluates up to 47 percent of overall labor force. However, female version proves a considerable increase of almost 25 percent in the last five years. Around 30 percent meat cutters and butchers are in the age limit of 35 years and only one quarter are around 55 years or older.

A Butchers Knowledge and Skills

In order to become a butcher you would require a wide set of skills including thorough knowledge of butchery products, the capacity to work for long hours, excellent customer service and communication skills, a high standards of personal hygiene and sanitation, good skills of numeracy for handling payments and a good visual sense for window and counter displays.

Opportunities for a Qualified Butcher

Butchers may work independently and establish their own store or they might gain employment in the the butchery department of a larger supermarket or retail chain. In retail chains and supermarkets butchers are likely to possess excellent opportunities for working as supervisors and managers. Butchers can also utilize their own skills in order to work in meat manufacturing, meat wholesaling and catering outlets. If a butcher is well experienced then he or she can also move into the meat sanitary service for checking the standards and quality in the meat plants and abattoirs.