CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 16TH April 2021

Employer Apprentice Grants Payments

We have now received the final payment from Skills Development Scotland regarding the above grant. Those who have been successful will receive their payments to their bank accounts (where details have been provided) in the next few days.
There was a delay in receiving the money from SDS which was out with our control.
There are many payments to process, however, we anticipate that all payments will be made either by BACS or cheque before the close of business on Tuesday 20th April.

We thank you for your patience.

Community Testing

Many local health boards have set up community testing sites which are walk in and can be accessed if the individual has no covid symptoms.
If you do not have symptoms of coronavirus you can access a test if you:
• are part of a group that has been asked to test by your NHS public health team
• live in a community that has been targeted for testing in
Details and locations in each area are below.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/pages/no-covid-symptoms/

Travel ban to be lifted from today (more details)

The Covid-19 restriction on travelling around Scotland is to be lifted from today, while people are to be allowed to meet up in larger groups outdoors.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said measures were being eased earlier than planned to help people's mental health.

People will be allowed to meet in groups of up to six adults from six households in outdoor settings.

And they will be permitted to travel across Scotland to do so, as long as they do not stay overnight.

Other restrictions are expected to be eased from 26 April – with shops, pubs and restaurants likely to reopen on a restricted basis.

What about travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK?

People should not travel between Scotland and England at the moment unless their journeys are essential.

The Scottish government has said non-essential journeys to other parts of the UK and the wider common travel area should be allowed from 26 April, if the data permits.

People should be able to meet indoors again in small groups from the middle of May.
The first minister said that this meant she could confirm a “very significant re-opening of the economy” from 26 April, when the whole of Scotland will move into level three of the Covid-19 restrictions system.

It means shops will fully reopen and hospitality businesses will be allowed to operate fully outdoors, and on a restricted basis indoors.

Scotland's island communities – which have been in level three for some time – will stay in the same level as the mainland in the immediacy, to allow people to travel between areas.
It is expected the whole of Scotland to then move to level two on 17 May – allowing people to meet up indoors – and to level one and then zero in June.

And she said some changes to the travel restrictions that had not been due to come into force until 26 April would be made earlier than originally planned in an effort to boost people's mental health and wellbeing.

19 April – All schools reopen

Virtually all pupils will return to school full time after the Easter holidays.

Some council areas, such as Fife, are already back from the holidays with the rest returning from 19 April.

The only exception is for those in the shielding category, who must stay at home until 26 April.

Secondary school pupils will no longer have to follow strict two metre physical distancing rules when they return, but they must wear face coverings at all times.

All primary school pupils had returned full-time by mid March, but before the Easter break secondary pupils were taught using blended learning – a mix of home and classroom study.

Late April – Shops, gyms and beer gardens
All remaining shops and close contact services like nail salons are due to reopen on 26 April.

Pubs, bars, caf̩s, restaurants and bars will be able to serve people outdoors Рin groups of up to six from six households Рuntil 22:00 from that date. Alcohol will be permitted, and there will be no requirement for food to be served.

Takeaways will be able to resume normal service, with physical distancing and face masks worn in premises

There will also be a partial resumption of indoor hospitality – food and non-alcoholic drinks can be served until 20:00 for groups of up to six people from no more than six households. Contact details will still need to be collected.

Indoor gyms and swimming pools will be allowed to open for individual exercise, driving lessons and tests will take place, and non-essential work in people's homes can resume.

Scotland will return to a levels system, with the entire country initially moving to a modified version of the current level three restrictions.

Tourist accommodation, museums, galleries, libraries can also open from this date.

The number of people allowed to attend a wedding or funeral rises to 50.

People on the shielding list will be able to return to work, college, school or nursery.

Mid-May – Cinemas, bingo and meeting up indoors

Three weeks later, on 17 May it is hoped most, if not all, council areas will be able to move from level three to level two, allowing much more normality.

People should at last be allowed to meet up inside others' homes (although this could happen sooner) – initially in groups of up to four people from no more than two households.

Indoor hospitality is expected to resume with alcohol being served and pubs or restaurants allowed to stay open until 22:30 with two-hour time-limited booking slots.

Cinemas, bingo halls and amusement arcades can now reopen.

Outdoor and indoor events such as concerts can also restart, but capacity may be limited initially.

Restrictions on meeting up outdoors will ease further. Adult outdoor contact sports and indoor group exercises can resume.

More students will be back at university or college but with blended learning continuing. Face-to-face support services such as counselling can take place.

Early June – Almost back to normal

The hope is that from 1 June, all of Scotland can move to level one – and by the end of the month to level zero, the lowest category of the five tier system.

In early June it is hoped up to six people from three households can socialise indoors, at home or in a public place.

Outside up to eight people from three households can meet while for 12 to 17-year-olds the limit on the number of households rises to eight.

Hospitality will be able to stay open until 23:00 and the number of constraints on events such as concerts will be relaxed.

Indoor non-contact sport will resume. Casinos, funfairs and soft play can re-open.

The risk of importing new variants of Covid means a big question mark hangs over non-essential international travel, for instance for holidays.

It will almost certainly not be allowed before mid-May, and the government warns it may not resume for some time after that.

When it is allowed, pre-departure and post-arrival testing will remain a requirement.

From the end of June there will be a phased return of some office staff and increased numbers at places of worship or other events such as weddings.

Reformulation Opportunity in partnership with FDF Scotland and Foodmakers:

Food and Drink Federation Scotland are working in conjunction with Foodmakers, part of Scobie and Junor, in order to develop a range of healthier seasoning blends for Scottish favourites including sausage rolls, scotch pies, lorne sausage, haggis and black pudding.

Why not get involved in this opportunity to trial free samples of the seasoning blends and feed the growing consumer appetite for healthier options.

If you are interested please get in contact by emailing: [email protected] to discuss this opportunity further.

Discover the Magic of Guinness with MRC

At MRC we have been blending quality sauces, seasonings, and marinades for over 40 years, and are committed to adding value to butchers' counters with mouth-watering flavours from around the world. So, we are especially excited to be partnered with Guinness on this exclusive range, to bring you their iconic flavours all packaged up into the MRC products you know and love, plus a few new formats you will not have seen from us before.

We have developed this range of 4 products collaboratively with our in-house experts and the team at Guinness and can now finally share them with the butchery world! You will not find these products anywhere else, and we can't wait to see them in your counters – let's keep all of those shoppers gained through the Pandemic coming back and excited by new flavours and ideas.

Here is what we have created”¦
Guinness Glaze – Packaged up into our familiar Red Tub format, Guinness Glaze is rich, sweet, and smoky, combining the enticing magic of those familiar malty flavours, with hints of garlic, tomato and paprika.
Guinness Oil Marinade – The newest addition to our Gold Seal range, the sweetness of malt perfectly balanced with rich stout and miso creates an unforgettably mouth-watering marinade that will add the magic of Guinness to any counter.
Guinness Paste – A brand new MRC product, this paste has an intense burst of concentrated Guinness flavour guaranteed to add oomph to any dish, it is rich and malty with hints of soy, honey and miso. When it comes to usage, a tablespoon of this paste is enough to make an impact! When heated the paste melts into a sauce, so works perfectly as a burger bomb, in casseroles or brushed onto steak. Use as liberally or sparingly as you want to and get creative with it!
Guinness Sausage Mix – You can now easily create the perfect Guinness Sausage with this irresistible mix of rich stout flavours, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. This complete mix makes a delicious, artisanal sausage to add to your counter and is coming soon.
This exclusive new range is available to buy from any distributor, and we cannot wait to see your creations. Tag us in your pictures using #MRCxGuinness and let us know what you think.

Meat Managers Hygiene and HACCP Course

It is a legal requirement to make sure that our businesses have an operational and auditable food safety management system in place.
We have traditionally held our Meat Managers Hygiene and HACCP courses in one location on one day. These have been held throughout the country and have proven very popular and useful in the development of individuals within the business who are required to take responsibility for the implementation of the HACCP system.
The courses have been delivered by Verner Wheelock.
Paul Bache has presented these courses for many years on behalf of Scottish Craft Butchers and the certificates issued are recognised by the local authority environmental health officers.
Due to the current restrictions, we cannot hold face to face courses.
Therefore, we have decided to offer the course online during video meetings in April and May
The dates we have arranged for the course are:-

Each delegate must complete all 3×3 hour sessions. There is a maximum of 7 delegates per course. The cost is £250 per delegate.

COURSE 2- 26/27/28th April 2021 3pm to 6pm each day. ONLY 1 SPACE LEFT!

COURSE 3- 10/11/12th May 2021 3pm to 6pm each day. ONLY 2 SPACES LEFT!

The format will be 3 x afternoons (3 hours each session) on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with a maximum of 7 places. Each candidate will have to attend all 3 sessions!
If you would like to find out more or register yourself or someone in your business on the course, please contact Claire on 01738 637785 or e-mail [email protected]

The Scottish Craft Butchers office in Perth is now closed following government guidelines.
We will be available to our members to answer any queries via email or by mobile phone and will be available out of office hours for any members wanting to contact us.
Our contact details are below

Gordon King: [email protected] 07917524313
Bruce McCall: [email protected] 07834490922