Author Topic: Help - Advice on selling a pig carcass direct to butcher (Read 4315 times)

DeeDee · « **on:** August 21, 2010, 08:14:35 pm »

Hi All

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. Micko and I have been kept very busy setting up and now have a fully functioning monster polytunnel, 46 chickens and 18 pigs, 2 of which are ready for slaughter. We've spoken to loads of butchers and found someone who seems really promising and "gets" the whole free range and rare breed pig thing. He used to have a smallholding himself so knows a thing or two about what we are doing. He loves the breeds we are keeping and our breeding plans and has asked us if we could supply him with whole pigs. Here lies our problem. We've done masses of research on what we should be charging for butchered meat, sausages, bacon, bulk orders etc but absolutely no idea what to charge the butcher for a whole carcass. It's obviously going to be less than the direct sale prices and I guess (hope) will be more than the usual wholesale price of a commercial breed carcass from an intensive finishing unit. Other than that, I'm totally stuck!

Anyone have any ideas or know what the going rate is? We want to set off on a good footing with the butcher and be fair to him (he's given us a really good price for butchery, curing, packing etc) but don't want to underprice our meat.

Any help or advice you can give will be gratefully received!

Cheers

DeeDee & Micko

hughesy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2010, 08:23:40 pm »

It doesn't really matter what the "going rate" is. You need to establish what the carcass has cost you to produce and add what you think is a reasonable mark up for your time and effort. You might want to have a chat with your butcher and see what he thinks the carcass is worth to him. You then have some basis for negotiation. Or it'll become apparent that no deal is going to happen.

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2010, 08:30:57 am »

Have you tried phoning around other free range suppliers to see what they would sell you a whole unbutchered pig for?

sausagesandcash · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2010, 11:42:33 am »

here in ireland the factory pays around Euro 1.40. Free Range producers can expect approx. twice that....which really is very little.

regards,

Morgan

patmci · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2010, 12:14:19 pm »

Do you know of a butcher that will pay a premium to outdoor producers. My local factory will only pay me 1.50 a kilo if i send my pigs to them.

Regards Patrick

Gary · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2010, 01:51:25 pm »

Butchers dont really want are meat as its not lean enough for them therefore the price is very low have you got any bakers near you as you could sell them sausage meat for their sausage rolls we sell ours to bakers for £3 per pound and they cant get enough it uses up all our off cuts and we can make a better profit overall then.
regards gary

DeeDee · « **Reply #6 on:** August 25, 2010, 10:14:45 pm »

Thanks for the replies and advice folks. Think we'll take it all on board and try a bit of everything suggested!

There are very few rare breed free range pig herds round here and so far we've found they all sell direct retail rather than to a butcher. We're just not geared up for that yet. But there is one person we can try who has really been helpful (we've bought some of our weaners from her and will be going back for more so I think she'll still be happy to help). The butcher is really keen so it can't hurt just to ask him the outright question, can it? And I hadn't thought about selling to bakers etc, but that's a fantastic idea and we'll start to do a bit of knocking on doors, not just for now but also to see if we can get something in place for the future.

We do have a lot of interest from people who want to buy a small amount of meat to try it out, which is fair enough given that these two are our first. But there is no where near enough interest yet to enable us to sell enough direct so we'll have to come uo with something or buy a bigger freezer!

Our "lads" are off the abbatoir tomorrow - Micko and I are really dreading it. Once I've come out of my period of mourning I'll let you know how we got on with the butcher etc.

Cheers

Dee & Micko

Hilarysmum · « **Reply #7 on:** August 26, 2010, 08:16:29 am »

If you only have 2 pigs it may be worth buying a bigger freezer, because once you have tried your own meat you will never want to eat anything else. Once your guests try your meat they wont want to eat anything else either .... ergo they will want to buy from you. And frankly 2 pigs of premium quality as yours are will be eaten so quickly you'll probably have to ration the pork or you will run out before your next lot are done.

Whatever they have cost you to produce it would be 3 times as much to buy from one of the specialist butchers who would stock such meat.

HM