Portadown butcher strikes gold Down Under

incent Garreffa, founding member of Lifeline Perth International Young Butcher of the Year competition, with Conor Reynolds, B&W Farm Meats and Robert Retallick, head judge and co-ordinator.

Taking place in Perth, Australia, Conor Reynolds, 19, a butcher with M&W Farm Meats in Portadown, has dedicated his award to his grandfather, Gerry Reynolds, who passed away recently and was Conor’s biggest supporter.

Organised by Lifeline Perth, the International Young Butcher competition attracts talented young butchers from across the globe, and following Team Ireland’s World Butcher Team of the Year win in 2018, Irish butchers are now regarded as amongst the most talented on the world stage.

Conor has also recently been named as the Young Butcher within Team Ireland who will be defending their World Butchers of the Year crown in Sacramento, California in 2020. His participation in the Lifeline event was sponsored by Butchery Excellence International, with support from Dawn Meats and Conor’s employer, M&W Farm Meats.

Following his win, Conor said: “Four years ago, I started to learn the craft of butchery and recently, I’ve become more confident in my skills and have started to take part in competitions.

“Just last year, I took part in the Premier Young Butcher Competition in Birmingham, winning five out of the six categories and I was named as the overall winner, but even back then, I didn’t for one second think that I would be competing in Australia, never mind winning an international award.”

Conor is representing Ireland next year as a member of the Team Ireland butchery squad. He’s been selected as the team’s representative for ‘Young Butcher’ in the World Butchers’ Challenge which will see Team Ireland defend its title on a world stage.