The Master Butcher
A History of the Meat Industry.
From 1954 to 2004.
My Recollections of 50 years.
By William Hayes.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Edited by Muriel Elizabeth Hayes
A Master Butcher having served his apprenticeship should be able to judge the weight of live animals without a scale, slaughter them taking off a first class hide or skin, cut the meat prepare sausages and small goods, Dress the window of the shop and advise the house wife how to cook the meat to best advantage for flavor and tenderness.
They are in fact a Dying Breed as rare as the White Rhino, Almost Extinct.
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Authors Note.
I wrote this book to celebrate my 50 years in the Meat Industry from 1954 to 2004.
I don’t claim to know everything about the Meat Industry, yet I have picked up a lot over the years.
I have met the most amazing characters and seen the most remarkable changes over the last years.
I dedicated this book to my brothers Bob and Bruce who have killed hundreds of thousands of sheep pigs and cattle with me.
I make special thanks to Mr. George Downs of the Vestey Organization, who was important in my wanting to stay in the Meat Trade.
I thank the Meat Trades Journal for being there week in, week out, with news views and topics over the last 50 years.
One must not forget the Butchers wife, who has to put up with early mornings late nights, smelly cloths and the phone ringing night and day.
My mother celebrates her 85th Birthday this year.
If I had a dollar for every sheep and pig she has chased and penned, in the slaughter yards, I could buy a nice Farm of Land.
Finally we come to the Farmer, I have never seen a Satisfied Farmer or a Dead Donkey.
This applies the World over, yet joking aside the farmer deserves praise in this book.
They have also been through the good times and he bad times along side the Master Butcher
The Sirloin of Beef.
Charles the Second had a name for being a great Drinker, Womanizer and Hunter, I suppose in hind sight he would have made a good meat Man.
After a days hunting in North Lancashire, at Houghton near Preston
And a nights Drinking and Womanizing, he was served a Loin of Beef.
Well "In his cups" he rose from the table, took his sword from his scabbard, everyone assumed to carve the Loin.
Charles placed the sword on the loin of beef and with great Reverence said " Arise Sir Loin", he had in fact knighted the joint.
There is a pub at Houghton on the site of the old Pub, called the Sirloin, after this event.
England Boiled Beef and Carrots or Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
Bangor’s and Mash, Bacon Sandwich’s where would we be without the Butcher and Baker.
Equally without the Farmer who produces the animals for our Trade.
We must not forget the Meat Trades Journal that keeps us informed, week in and week out ever since I can remember, with new, Views, prices and Gossip in the Industry.
The Author.
William Hayes started working in the Gut room of his Fathers Slaughterhouse in July 1954.
William went on to leg lambs, dress lamb by the age of 12 he was a capable slaughter-man, recognized by George Downs the Area Manager of Eastman’s South West England.
George Downs would collect him at 5 am on a Saturday Morning, take him to Exeter to kill lambs solo for the Vestey Organization.
William’s elder Brother Bob used to work for George Downs during his school holidays and paid mans wage.
William’s younger Brother Bruce was with out doubt the best Slaughter-man, one day killing solo, dressing perfectly 110 lambs at Whiteland in West Wales. Whilst his Brothers have been extremely successful and retired, William remains in the Industry in Argentina and Australia.
William is today considered by many people in the Trade to be an "Elder Statesman" of the Industry"
Foreward.
I recall 50 years ago and the great relief to the West of England, that the Slaughterhouses could be opened after 15 years of Rationing.
I also remember the first cow my Father killed, was riddled with TB a big problem in the early fifties.
The railway being the main means of transportation and no refrigeration, no water was allowed on the meat, the bucket and cloth it all seems a lifetime ago.
The biggest cattle Slaughterhouse in Devon was St Thomas in Exeter.
Eight sets of 2 men, bringing cattle into kill floor on the end of a chain, siding them in, lifting the carcass on a pulley block to back out, the splitting in two with handsaw and cleaver.
My main plant in Argentina today can kill 4000 cattle per day on one line.
I recall vividly the books of Frank Gerard, that my Father had.
Here I am 50 years later, writing my own history of the industry taking off where Frank Gerard left off in 1948 to 1954.
My Father used to order his books through the MTJ for his own research into the Industry.
England boasted over 6000 small and large slaughterhouses in 1954, with no meat inspection, no wearing of hats no white uniforms, in many cases no aprons, no refrigeration.
Yet strangely enough we had no food poisoning, no Salmonella or E-coli this leaves room for thought.
The Trade was Self Governed, no butcher in his right mind would put meat into the food chain, that was not up to standard.
The cattle auctions, the retail butchers buying their own animals to kill, especially in the rural areas, has the industry changed for the better, yes in many respects.
Perhaps where we have lost out the most, is the loss of the "Master Butcher" the art and pride in our work and the skills to match.
Having said this there are still Master Butchers left in the game.
The first name that comes to mind is John Martin of Martins butchers at Okehampton in Devon.
John still buys and kills his own livestock, served a tough apprenticeship with his father and controls several butchers shops today.
There are some very able men in our Industry who are not Master Butchers, you don’t have to be a woman to be a gynecologist.
Bill Hayes.
Buenos Aires 13th January 2009
Chapter One
1954 to 2004.
21st July 1954 was the day meat came off Ration for the first time since the War in 1939.
Prior to 1939, England enjoyed lamb from New Zealand and Australia and beef from Argentina.
The country of fifty two million people, was totally dependant on the Commonwealth Countries, for the supply of meat, grain and fruit.
Whilst Argentina was not in the Commonwealth as such, she enjoyed the benefits of Commonwealth Status.
This was mainly due to the large English interests in Argentina, controlled by the Vestey Organization and the British Argentina Land Company.
Rationing meant, all livestock was purchased by the Ministry of Food, later to become the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries or MAFF.
The Government employed former wholesale butchers and cattle dealers, to act as Government Agents.
These agents would grade the cattle sheep and pigs at livestock centers, in cattle markets all over the country. The cattle markets and abattoirs had all been closed for the Duration many butchers had a small slaughter house behind their butchers shops these were closed.
most railway stations big and small, had a railway slaughter house as rail was the main means of transport.
Local councils in all large towns h
