A RECRUITMENT crisis means two-thirds of Scottish butchers' shops could close down, according to a new report.
The report found only one in three butchers has a successor lined up to take over their business when they retire.
Only two out of five butchers currently has an apprentice and some butchers fear young people prefer other professions seen as more glamorous.
Report author Ed Bedington said more needed to be done to entice the next generation into butchery.
"We have uncovered a real challenge for traditional, skilled professions such as butchery that need to entice a new generation of workers in order to survive and thrive," he said.
"What's most surprising is that the findings come from an industry which offers apprentices the opportunity to learn a real trade, not only giving them a profession but also a real shot at entrepreneurship and at running their own business."
The survey questioned 200 butchers across the UK for National Butchers' Week, which takes place this week.
It found only 30% had a natural successor to take on the business following their retirement, either in the shape of a son or daughter or someone else working in the business. Many of the butchers said the recruitment crisis in the industry had never been so severe, although Douglas Scott, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association, said he believed the situation had recently improved.
He added: "Like every other independent business, everyone is struggling for turnover. It's not buoyant, but no-one's buoyant."
More than half of the butchers surveyed also said they had no apprentices, with lack of candidates being cited as the biggest reason for failing to fill positions. Some butchers said this was because other careers were seen as more glamorous or easier.
Butcher Henry Herbert, star of the Channel 4 series The Fabulous Baker Boys, said young people should consider butchery.
"Learning a trade like butchery gives you a great base to go and do whatever you want to do, as well as giving you job satisfaction and a feeling that you providing people with a really worthwhile service," he said.
There was some good news in the report for the industry: more than three-quarters of butchers are enjoying rising sales.
Sales of budget cuts of meat are up by as much as 40%, with offal, mutton, oxtail, brisket, pork belly, and beef cheeks, skirt and shins among the star performers.
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