Busy butchers - Slaughtermen gear up for busiest week of the year

There was a time when Christmas in Jamaica meant long lines snaking outside slaughterhouses, with people standing for long hours, hoping to snag fresh meat at a price they could afford.

Trevor Price, director of City Butchers and owner of T Price Butchery Limited, says the traditional Christmas rush is a thing of the past at the Kingston abattoir.

"We do a wholesale supply, where the stores, supermarket or meat shops place their orders and we deliver to them. So we don't have that kind of walk-in traffic," Price said.

For Price, who has spent over 40 years in the trade, Christmas meat trends are predictable.

"At this abattoir we slaughter pigs, cows and goats. On a regular basis we slaughter a lot of pigs, but during Christmas the demand is more for cows, so we slaughter more to meet the demand," he explained.

He added, "For butchers, Christmas is our busiest period, so personally, I am always busy ensuring the customers get what they want. It's more work for me, and butchers overall," noting that a shortage of animals could put a damper on holiday celebrations.

Supply challenges have grown more complex, with farmers sometimes selling livestock earlier than planned due to disasters or personal setbacks.

"Plenty people started to sell their animals early to help rebuild their homes. Some of them are not really ready for selling, but because of circumstances they had to. Many animals have also died, and we have started to experience a little shortage already," Price said.

Outside the Corporate Area abattoirs, rural Jamaica is keeping the Christmas tradition alive. Howard Pusey, a butcher in St Ann, says locals still rely on their neighbourhood meat man for the holiday feast.

"People still flock the butchers for their meat. But instead of standing up in a long wait, nuff people order long before Christmas, and when the time a come up them call and remind you," Pusey said.

He emphasised that the butcher's role in holiday celebrations remains vital.

"Butchers are important people inna Christmas. All type a meat sell. People buy the ham, but them nah lef dem goat and pig, either," Pusey added.