Suffolk butcher tale: redouble our efforts on backing British & education

On Monday 24th February the Daily Mail reported "Market butcher forced to stop displaying meat and game because 'townies' object: Family firm targeted with anonymous hate mail because of carcasses hanging in the window." The article, about 100 year old JBS Family Butchers in Sudbury, Suffolk, which has long made a window display of birds in feather including duck, pheasant and partridge in season, rabbits and pigs' heads, reported that the butchers have "reluctantly had to remove the display after it became the target of a campaign including anonymous hate mail and people hurling abuse in the shop."

This story shows how far we have to go in informing and educating the general public about where their food comes from. The Countryside Alliance is proud to stand beside farmers and butchers not just in promoting the benefits of local produce, but in stepping up educational efforts to ensure that a dead pheasant or rabbit in a window doesn't alarm anyone. Please support your butcher, and if you can, support JBS in Sudbury as they continue to make a living.

The Meat Trades Journal has reported that the butchers are mindful that they do not want to offend anybody but that they have had huge support over this story. They have pledged to let the public decide on the future of their window displays. Read this story here.

Wednesday 26th February, the BBC reports "Sudbury butcher's dead animal window display to return" reports that there was an overwhelming "300 to one" in favour of the display returning. Read the full story here