Local butchers importing meat from China

[Glitterybee]

AIBU to be absolutely fuming about this?

I spent a small fortune at a local butchers on Saturday and as I went to open one of the items today (chicken), I noticed it said on the pack ‘origin of meat - China’

That then prompted me to check all the packaging and none of the meat is sourced locally. They were all labelled as coming from either China or Poland.

I live in a very rural area with a huge network of farmers. Why on earth would a local butcher import chicken and red meat from other countries? I think it’s a disgrace.

Very true.
And yet it doesn't bother me.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I ball but given up on eating meat because most of it is cheap, imported crap pumped full of water.
When i do buy meat i buy expensive meat that i know the origin of.

It's also worth remembering the terrible battery farms are local to someone! Local meat doesn't always mean better standards.

Some butchers/farm shops really capitalise on the automatic assumption its local that's not checked Thus have allsorts of far flung meats

I agree with previous poster that in someways it's clearer in supermarkets because they label better

There's a big trendy farm shop near me, that sells half local but a surprising amount isn't. They will have for example all the produce laid out on tables, in big crates etc so it looks really rustic but it's mostly the same as what you'd buy in Tesco, and their meat is probably similar. The farms near them supply to the big supermarkets as well as them.
They have vague signs about say pork from within 10 miles but neglect to mention that they only buy in a tiny portion of that and the rest is just generic so maybe only one variation of the selection of sausages or their "made with British pork" sausage roll is only a small portion of British pork

Another does similar but at least it's clearly labelled and they try to follow seasonal food. Obviously if your wanting an array of bright veg in the winter, it won't be local but they try to follow the seasons in the main with a small amount of imported staples.

That's very shocking. I'm fortunate that we have a fantastic butcher in our town - all meat sourced locally or within the West Country - and all the farms they source from are listed on their website.
They're incredibly friendly, & very knowledgeable. More expensive than the supermarkets but very popular. Regularly have queues out the door at weekends & Christmas.
Find a better butcher!

I read an article about that and it has changed my honey buying habits.
The article also said much of the honey imported isn't 100% honey 😮
You really need to read the label.
I'm buying local honey now, it is a lot more expensive but worth it.

What did you pay for it?
id be horrified
but if i hadn’t paid £15+ for that chicken I’d know it wasn’t from a good source.

Just out of interest, how much was it OP? A chicken in our local farm shop costs about £20. That’s not even organic, but it is high welfare and local. Decent meat costs money (and should).

I went into our local farm shop the other weekend and asked for something local - surprise me I said. I got home and he had wrapped up a nice piece of solar panel, about 12 inches long and six inches wide, tied up with string.

Would you be willing to pay what it really costs to raise, slaughter, package and distribute the chicken here?

Most people wouldn't be prepared to pay £15 for a chicken. But that’s actually the cost to do it here and make a profit for the farmer.

I think the USP of meat from a butcher is that it's better quality than supermarket meat (and possibly higher welfare) and that implies British meat or at least western European meat, but definitely not Chinese meat! OP has been misled, deliberately or otherwise. I think she's entitled to be fuming.

Of course they don't get it direct themselves from China. They use wholesalers. There are plenty of fruit/veg, meat and fish wholesalers, it's not just cash n carries.

Yes, my small Xmas dinner Duchy chicken was £20 from waitrose.

Me too. Apart from anything it means it not fresh. Then don't get me started on the ethics from all directions.

I will be checking all of mine moving forward OP, thank you.

Visit an industrial farm or abattoir here and tell me how nicely the animals are treated

Always assume food, produce or goods are imported and crap standard until informed otherwise.

E.g. pub food pre-prepped from Brakes, craft shops and 'Artisan jewellers' importing tat from China, clothing via forced labour.

There is absolutely no way I would eat meat from China.... rank.

That's shocking. I would have definitely assumed it was British...and not just British, but local.

I once had an experience where I was eating a ready meal and the chicken tasted "weird" and had a strange chewy texture. I spat it straight out when I saw it came from Thailand. Ever since then I've always checked the origin of meat and poultry, both fresh/raw and in ready meals and only ever buy British. It's surprising how many companies and even whole stores it takes out of the equation.

I usually buy my meat and poultry in Sainsburys or the Coop (and check the name of the farm on the boxes) and it's very reasonable. I had some bad experiences with local butchers with meat being very expensive but not that nice when cooked the same...or being on the turn when I collected. There is an artisan butcher in our town where all the meat is local and I buy the Christmas Turkey from and I'd love to support more but I just can't afford the prices they charge. I bought stewing steak from them last year to make a pie for New Year but it was nowhere near as tender or tasty as the casserole steak I buy for £5 from Sainsburys.

Supermarket fresh meat is almost always from the UK.

The USP of an actual butcher is that meat will be from a local source, fresher etc, even if it costs more.

I try to buy local sometimes but it is very expensive and often not great. I bought some really expensive cheese from a counter at a local farm shop but I didn't realise it was going to be pre-cut pieces. It was the worst Stilton I've ever had as it had been allowed to sweat in cling film for too long. The piece I got from Tesco, on the other hand, was really good.

If they're advertising themselves as an independent, local butcher, then it's pretty misleading I'd say!

That is quite shocking

I remember about 20 years asking our butcher if all his meet was free range. He looked at me like I was insane 😂and educated me that unless it's labeled local/ free range etc. then it definitely isn't.

The spuds are because there was a really bad harvest in 2023/2024

I would also have assumed the meat was local, or at least British meat, not chicken from China.
I wouldn't buy from there again and might possibly leave a google review depending on what kind of mood I was in "Disappointed to find that the meat I purchased had been imported from China"

Virtually all of Holland is ideal growing land, i.e. flat, well drained, well watered, etc.

Huge amounts of the UK land isn't suitable for mass cultivation due to hills and mountains, valleys, bogs, etc., not just because it's harder to grow stuff in poor soil, it's also harder to plant and harvest crops on hill sides, etc. It's why we have so much sheep/cow farming as that's more suited to hills and valleys.