CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 7TH MAY 2021

Covid update.

From 17 May:
• Indoor hospitality can open, with alcohol, until 10.30pm (4 people from 2 households). Probably restricted to two hour booking slots
• Small-scale indoor and outdoor events can resume (number limits to be decided)
• Cinemas re-open subject to capacity constraints
• Adult contact sport returns, more students back at college/university for blended learning

From 7 June

• Indoor socialising in private homes, including overnight stays, for up to six adults from three households
• Indoor socialising in public places, such as a cafe or restaurant, for up to eight adults from three households

• Outdoor socialising in gardens or public places for up to 12 adults from 12 households
• Travel into England, Wales and Northern Ireland permitted again
• Weddings and funerals can have up to 100 guests
• All shops and businesses can re-open, apart from nightclubs and adult entertainment
• Stadium events can resume, although with limits of maximum crowd sizes

Late June:

• Move into Level 0, where almost all restrictions lifted
• Indoor socialising in homes, including overnight stays, of up to eight adults from four households
• Indoor socialising in public places, such as a cafe or restaurant, for up to 10 adults from four households
• Outdoor socialising in public or gardens for up to 15 adults from 15 households
• Up to 200 guests allowed at weddings and funerals
• A beginning of a phased return to offices for work, although working from home still encouraged
• All shops and businesses open, except nightclubs and adult entertainment

Butchers Battles, Apprentices Clash, winners announced

The winners of the Butchers Battles, apprentices clash have been announced. Congratulations to Ariane Bennett who won the video award and to Jordan Shaw who won the step-by-step award.
Well done to all the entrants who took the time and effort to create their products.
The judges said that the standard was very high and that the job of finding winners in each category was extremely difficult. The thought and dedication put in to coming up with innovative products is a great testament to the individuals in our industry.
Read the full story here: –
https://craftbutchers.co.uk/story.php?t=Virtual_victors_as_Scotland's_apprentice_butchers_battle_it_out_online&ID=2663

Budget 2021 – Super-deduction (See attached document)

This may be of interest to our members. Further detailed advice is in the attached sheet. We advise you speak to your accountant to see if you would benefit from this scheme.
Budget 2021 – Super-deduction • For expenditure incurred from 1 April 2021 until the end of March 2023, companies can claim 130% capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments. •
Under the super-deduction, for every pound a company invests, their taxes are cut by up to 25p. •
This change makes the UK's capital allowance regime more internationally competitive, lifting the net present value of our plant and machinery allowances from 30th in the OECD to 1st.

Update to e-mail contact details
As we have now completed the process of changing the name of the organisation to “Scottish Craft Butchers” we have also taken to opportunity to change our e-mail addresses to reflect this.
Please note the new e-mail contact details for Gordon and Bruce below.
Our mobile numbers remain the same.

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

Craft Butcher Diploma of Scotland.

New funding supports ambitious butchers to carve out a niche role

A new partnership between Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Scottish Craft Butchers, announced during National Butchers' Week, will relieve financial barriers associated with further skills training, helping more young and ambitious butchers to attain the prestigious
Craft Butcher Diploma of Scotland.

The next step from the Modern Apprenticeship in SVQ Meat and Poultry Skills at Level 3 (SCQF 6) or experienced butchers requiring certification, the diploma is internationally recognised as formal and comprehensive evidence of quality training and achievement in the Scottish Retail Meat Industry.

Gordon Newlands, qualified butcher and Brands Development Manager for QMS, said:

“The Craft Butcher Diploma is held in extremely high regard in the red meat industry and is considered the final piece in the jigsaw to becoming a master craftsman in butchery.

“I went through and attained my Diploma in 1986. I still have my certificate and take it with me – it has great merit within the red meat industry at home here in Scotland and abroad. We are looking forward to supporting butchers to push their boundaries, and further their skills within the industry.”

QMS will be supporting members of the Scotch Butchers Club to undertake the training by funding 50% of the training fee to the value of £250. This new partnership follows on from the re-direction of the Scotch Butchers Club to support independent butchers to take on a leading role as 'Champions of Scotch'.
The training will be delivered by Craft Skills Scotland assessors with butchery business owners signing off on the competency of trainees in required areas.

Gordon King, Executive Manager at Scottish Craft Butchers, said:

“With the increase in demand for butchers, we need to make sure our young men and women are the best that they can be.

“By partnering with QMS and the Scotch Butchers Club we can help position the industry so that butchers are seen as leaders in craftmanship, product knowledge, provenance, speciality, and innovation in an era when consumers are striving to know more about where their food comes from.”

To apply for funding towards the Craft Butcher Diploma, trainees must download the application form from the Scotch Butchers Club website (link below)and email the completed form to [email protected]
https://www.scotchbutchers.com/for-butchers/
Scroll down to the application form in the link above.

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