Women and the Butchery Industry
Historically it’s no secret that butchery has always been a little bit of a “Boys Club” – aside from the lowest-paying meatpacking jobs. Today, however, there is a movement happening. Women are joining the industry in droves, and are currently having a really positive impact on the industries future.
It’s reported that around 10,000 women have now entered both the meat and seafood markets within the last decade – and thanks to the rise in people actually utilising their local butchers during the pandemic, that number is only going to continue growing – we love to see it!
Because the meat business has been heavily dominated by men for so long, one of the biggest changes for women entering the field is the ability to find female roles models for employment, training and support.
Butchery is one of the UK’s oldest, proudest – and most male-dominated professions, with one recent estimate claiming that less than 1% of working butchers are female. Perhaps the most high profile case as of late is that of Charlotte Harbottle, who has gained a rather large Twitter and blog following as under her handle ‘girlbutcher’.
She also made headlines back in 2013 when she became one of the first women EVER in the country to open her own butcher’s shop.
The Butchery Women of Dovecote Park
Dovecote Park and the Female Butchery Movement
Dovecote Park, a UK based British beef, veal and venison supplier which was established in Yorkshire in 1997 and prides itself on its high standards of animal welfare and husbandry, began with only 11 butchers and today has over 80 staff behind the knife, as well as 150 people manning the boning hall.
As impressive as all that sound, however, until a little too recently, Dovecote Park had never actually employed a female butcher before (and they aren’t the only ones, we’re sure).
‘No one ever applied’ says Carl Hullah, Assistant Boning Hall Manager. ‘Women just didn’t seem to want to do it, but now things are changing and we hope to see more and more girls picking up the knife!!’
During 2014, Hullah began training the boning halls first-ever three ‘knifewomen’ (which is a pretty cool sounding title, if you ask us). Two of them, in fact, actually still work with Dovecote Park today!
Helen Murray
Helen Murray, one of the former knifewomen, moved into the boning department from retail last year and has worked chiefly on VL (which stands for Visible Lean)/ This involved trimming off-cuts to be used for mince and burgers – yummy!
‘I’ve done butchery for about six months now’ she says, ‘I used to work in the retail department, and I wanted to further my career, so I asked to come in here. Now I’m learning all the different things so I can progress in here’.
‘People are surprised – they say, ‘Wow, you’re a butcher? Not many girls do that!!’ Men can’t be the only ones who do butchery – women can do whatever men can do. My favourite bit about it is just learning and getting into it – trimming fat off, how you can hang the beef, and all the different cuts.’
Katie Allport
The second of the two, Katie Allport also began to train as a butcher after she worked in the boning hall as a processing operative. She did 7 months working behind the knife, mostly on the flank line, which involved cutting and trimming meat products for third party designation. She has even helped to train brand new butchers in the department!
‘I’d never really seen a woman do it – I wanted to do it because you can move further and further up the ladder, it’s a profession. I want to keep moving up – I want to be top butcher. I don’t know why more women don’t do it – I guess some are put off by it, by the knives, but I don’t mind!’ she stated.
Jodie Chitoriski
And last but by no means least, on the other side over in production, Jodie Chitoriski is the team’s only female retail butcher. She proceeded onto the knife after her starting stint working in what is known deliciously burger room.
‘I went into butchery from there because I wanted to try something new,’ she says, ‘and I love it, I wouldn’t change it! You do get a shocked reaction from people – they always want to know, ‘Is it bloody?’, ‘Are you the only woman who works there?’ I think I can do it just as well as any men can do.’ I’d like to progress myself, and become just as good as the team leaders– I can definitely see myself in butchery for a long time.’
We sincerely hope this is only the beginning of this incredible revolution, and that any young women out there with the dream of taking on the knife themselves one day find inspiration in the stories of these women, and all other women who are currently paving the way for future generations of young girls hoping to break into the Meat Industry.