Brothers Martin and Declan Flood are running a second-generation family-owned butcher shop in Oldcastle, Co. Meath and featured on the Agriland 'Beef Brief' podcast in June.

One of the many interesting things highlighted by the brothers in the interview was the changes they have noticed in the type of meat cuts that are selling at the shop over the years.

"They say in the Irish diet, one of the biggest losses in the last decade is the fifth quarter as you call it - all your kidney, oxtail, all that kind of meat, because you're getting different nutrients out of it," Martin highlighted.

Commenting on the use of offal cuts in diets, he said: "It declined, but now it's back up on the rise big time again for body and bone health.

"There's other values that maybe tongue or heart would have, and all our hearts, liver, tongue, they're all sold within a couple of days of bringing them in here in to the shop."

Butcher business

The butcher shop offers a range of fresh meats from mince to steak and everything in between.

The beef used in the shop is predominantly all Angus and Hereford beef with good marbling, which is proving popular with their customer-base.

Declan said: "We have our own fully licenced slaughterhouse just out the road.

"We kill there two days every week. We kill for the shop here and we kill for local farmers and farmers from surrounding counties with deep-freeze animals that bring their lambs or heifers to us.

"We slaughter them, bring them in here to the shop, cut them up, bag them, and put them in a freezer ready to go."

Listen back to the Agriland 'Beef Brief' podcast episode, where the brothers discuss all things beef farming, fattening, finishing, and meat-related, as well as changing consumer trends and customer preferences in their butcher shop.