NCB celebrates 10^th Primary Authority Anniversary and launches Game Guide for butchers

National Craft Butchers (NCB) and Horsham District Councils Environmental Health Team celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their award-winning Primary Authority Partnership this month. To commemorate this milestone the partnership recently held an event at NCB members Knepp Castle Estate in West Sussex, at which they also unveiled their new Game Guide for Butchers and Small Producers.

With Game proving to be a growing trend for consumers and businesses alike, this advice comes at the perfect time just as we about to celebrate Great British Game Week.

NCB President David Gigli and Southeast members attended the event. Also attending were Horsham District Council dignitaries including David Skipp, Chairman of the Council, Martin Boffey, Leader of the Council, and Jay Mercer, Cabinet Member for Environmental Health, Recycling and Waste.

Primary Authority is a Government Scheme developed to assist businesses, allowing businesses, trade associations and similar organisations to form a legally recognised partnership with one or more local authorities to receive tailored support in relation to one or more specific areas of law.

For the last ten years the Food Safety Team at Horsham District Council have supported the NCB by providing members with legally backed food safety advice, the only comprehensive legally backed advice just for butchers in England. The NCB are a trade association representing 600 shops across 500 members in the U.K. ranging from retail butchers to small-scale producers, protecting the industry and keeping members up to date on all industry issues.   

Attendees at the 10-year anniversary event were invited to visit the innovative facilities at the Knepp Castle Estate and take a tour of the site to experience the Knepp trailblazing rewilding project which creates a sustainably sourced food supply from its own Wild Range meat from free-roaming herds and fresh produce from the Market Garden grown a stone’s throw from the new Wilding Kitchen & Shop.  Knepp Castle are active members of the NCB and like many butchery businesses have benefited from the advice and guidance for food safety through a single point of contact.

After taking the guided tour, the Chairman of Horsham Council kindly presented NCB with a commemorative certificate to mark the occasion and recognise the partnerships decade-long achievements.  On receiving the certificate David Gigli said “It has been a pleasure for NCB to work so closely with such a respected Council like Horsham, for the past ten years. During this time, we have seen our membership grow and thrive. We look forward to what we know is a promising future as this exciting partnership continues to flourish”.

David Skipp, Chairman of the Council, said “It’s important that we recognise this important milestone.  The last 10 years have truly been a testament to this joint enterprise, we have enjoyed every moment being partnered with such an amazing organisation as the NCB.”

For more information on Primary Authority or NCB membership contact NCB Head Office at info@nationalcraftbutchers.co.uk or call 01892541412.