Being a fred in a shed.

[Dave Lakes]

The excess left after your costs is your earnings or you could call it profit. My point is NDS is expecting to take earnings/wage as a cost and then make a profit on top. Most people, unless they are employers, don’t expect to make a profit on top of their wage.

As for my time against reloading or indeed butchering I do take your point but there’s 2 ways of looking at it;

It’s part of your income and your time should be chargeable.

It’s part of your hobby and something you get enjoyment from then it’s exactly that and you’re not going to cost it.

I am definitely in the latter camp, if I was to put my normal hourly rate against it - what I could earn consulting outside of my normal day job say- then I would have to be doing deer very quickly. But it’s not, both reloading and processing (small) deer is part of my hobby that I do to relax and get away from working….

The flip side is if I take any profit the HMRC are going to basically take half so I don’t want to turn a profit, just to cover my costs.

Exactly this. I cure my own meat. If I factor my own time it probably costs me about £20 a salami! (I’m slow). But I enjoy it, and there’s a side benefit of knowing exactly what’s in your food, and a bit of pride. My mate (an accountant) is baffled by this and cannot comprehend the sense in it! Cost vs value I suppose.

 

[Leec6.5]

If you lot want to bust a gut for nothing, making venison look nice and then selling it crack on!

In a previous life i was a a retail butcher, in a lovely village shop.

All the last few days have done is cement that the fact is your better off running the big stuff in!

If you are going to cut them up and not factor in a wage your working for nothing.

 

[VSS]

If you are going to cut them up and not factor in a wage your working for nothing.

So what?
Personal choice how we spend our time, and not all time has to = money.

 

[Freeforester]

As I’ve said before many times, I have just spent the best part of 6-7 hours skinning, butchering a lowland hind into presentable packs for one of my land owners!

Again any of you lads who claim to be making money really need to sit down and re- do your costings because there is no money in it thats for sure!

I’m not sure what’s going wrong, I’ve just sent off a decent consignment (15kg) to three customers - in Norfolk!

 

[Leec6.5]

I’m not sure what’s going wrong, I’ve just sent off a decent consignment (15kg) to three customers - in Norfolk!

Crack on

I’ve got better things to do with my time than spending my evenings and weekends standing in a cold butchery skinning and then cutting up venison that’s for certain.

 

[8x57]

Am I so very glad to hear that it takes others so long to process a carcass, I thought it was just me being particularly slow.

 

[rhine hunter]

Interesting. I have pretty similar discussions over here. In my own lease, we get around 50-100 boars plus approx. 30 roe deers per year the last years. No way to do the butchering by myself. I pay around 30 Euro per roe deer and 40 per boar for skinning and cutting incl. making it looking nice, packed and put into vacuum (don't know the right word).
If I keep a piglet/Frischling to put on the grill in whole, I skin and cut it by myself.

 

[8x57]

While I've always butchered any deer shot myself, for family and friends only, I'm tempted to take up an offer made by a local butcher some years ago to butcher carcasses for me provided the cost isn't too high. I'm sure he will do a much better job and take a fraction of the time that I do. My attitude being every man to his own trade, I know what I was good at and it wasn't butchery.

 

[DevonRifle]

It does depend on your model. It’s possible to earn money if you’re good at butchering, sales and stalking results. The difference is how you cost your time. My wife loves diving, she spends easily as much as me on her hobby and she has an issue with bringing back the crab and lobster that I love, she tells me it’s not part of the hobby!

I enjoy my hobby just as much as she does and I love all parts of it except for the actual kill but that’s a necessity. I love the butchery and the cooking. If I cost the process then I cost it against what I would pay for beef, lamb, pork, etc and what I produce I prefer to those other meats so I save us a fortune and make a bit on the side. In that respect I cover the cost of my hobby and make a profit. I couldn’t be happier.

I do need to improve on my skinning but I’m pretty good on butchery times. But then I have often butchered whole lambs, Red deer and a few other things before getting into stalking.

 

[Mike L]

Money money money, it's not all about money.

 

[Phil fox man]

if it's high volume and an income source it has to pay!
but if it's a hobby time doesn't matter.if you can off set some of you hobby costs by not going to the butcher's winner winner chicken dinner.
I don't see anyone complaining about loss of wages walking around in big daft tartan pants knocking a little ball about and being charged£150 for the privilege.

 

[AGR]

I've always found it quicker and simpler to pay a local butcher a few quid to do the mincing and sausages for me. I just drop the meat off.

 

[Hayduke]

I’m not sure what’s going wrong, I’ve just sent off a decent consignment (15kg) to three customers - in Norfolk!

They obviously recognise the fact that Highland venison (butchered and presented in a superior manner) is far preferable to local offerings

 

[foxdropper]

A few on this thread have mentioned the other threads regarding the price paid by Gamedealers but it transcribes those very same persons are more or less cutting for themselves or selling a few carcasses to the public .
They have no business buying carcasses as they arnt full time butchers but still they make out carcass prices need to stay low .Unintentionally they have shown why the industry needs to pay more for the primary carcass .
Its very plain to see the difference between the layman and the pro butcher in time and expected return .If it takes all day to butcher a fallow you arnt in any way a good tradesman ,you may be very meticulous but a tradesman you ain’t .
Im the other way .Im not patient enough nor have the skill to cut a beast for presentation so cut it fast and rough for my own consumption .
A butcher charging 30 notes a beast vac packed will and could do several beasts a day therefore making real money on the sale of said carcass .
When the dealer thread comes around again ,as it will ,think on because I’ll fire this back at you

 

[Foxyboy43]

Really chaps, forget all this stuff about labour, costs and profit - all you need is a good woman….

 

[VSS]

Really chaps, forget all this stuff about labour, costs and profit - all you need is a good woman….

View attachment 243303

Taking the covid threat very seriously, wearing a mask like that.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Taking the covid threat very seriously, wearing a mask like that.

Now, now! Truth is she had no lippy on and like all women - no lippy = no piccies!

 

[AGR]

A few on this thread have mentioned the other threads regarding the price paid by Gamedealers but it transcribes those very same persons are more or less cutting for themselves or selling a few carcasses to the public .
They have no business buying carcasses as they arnt full time butchers but still they make out carcass prices need to stay low .Unintentionally they have shown why the industry needs to pay more for the primary carcass .
Its very plain to see the difference between the layman and the pro butcher in time and expected return .If it takes all day to butcher a fallow you arnt in any way a good tradesman ,you may be very meticulous but a tradesman you ain’t .
Im the other way .Im not patient enough nor have the skill to cut a beast for presentation so cut it fast and rough for my own consumption .
A butcher charging 30 notes a beast vac packed will and could do several beasts a day therefore making real money on the sale of said carcass .
When the dealer thread comes around again ,as it will ,think on because I’ll fire this back at you

Never mind that! What we really need is the phone no for these saints who will cut and pack for 30 quid!

 

[Hayduke]

Really chaps, forget all this stuff about labour, costs and profit - all you need is a good woman….

View attachment 243303

Foxy would you consider a swap for a few months, mine needs trained, and I have a pile of deer to get through

 

[Woodsmoke]

Never mind that! What we really need is the phone no for these saints who will cut and pack for 30 quid!

Yep. I do the odd roe for a friend, and even at mates rates it's £45 for butchery, packing, and labelling