Foot and mouth puts butchers in the red

12:03pm Wednesday 7th March 2001

LEWISHAM butchers say they could face financial ruin if a solution is not found for the foot and mouth crisis.

One wholesale and retail meat seller predicts the virus which has spread to more than 70 areas throughout the UK and parts of Europe will cripple the meat industry.

The managers of Lewisham Butchers and the Bappoo Family Butchers say market prices have nearly doubled and sales are going through the roof.

Mr Mohammed Sahbir, owner of Lewisham Butchers, on Lewisham High Street, said the foot and mouth crisis further undermined consumer confidence in buying meat.

He said: “In the end it will be us butchers and wholesalers who will be the ones who go bankrupt if we can't make a profit because people refuse to buy the meat because it's too expensive.”

Mr Mohammed Munir, who runs Bapoo Butchers, off Lewisham High Street said he buys meat from other countries to keep up with demand.

He said: “The product is already beginning to dry out. Even when things are back to normal it will take a long time to replenish stocks, so it's going to affect our livelihood in the long-term.”

At the time the News Shopper went to press the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was devising plans to avoid a drought in fresh meat by transporting healthy animals to 170 licensed abattoirs across the country.

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