BPEX

Call: 01908 844368

Business Guide

Further Information and Resources

Free guides and leaflets available
Further training
Useful Websites
Useful business links
Back to Business Guide Homepage
Publications Order Form

Free resources available

Click on each title to download your own copy of the publication or complete the order form and either fax, post or email your order to BPEX to receive original copies of the publications required.

  • Cutting and preparation guides for meat and meat product
    • Blueprint for Pork - provides a production specification to ensure consistently good visual appeal and eating and keeping qualities
    • Blueprint Seam cutting for Pork (see order form)
    • Cutting and preparing pork (see order form)
    • Pork Forequarter CD Rom – highlighting opportunities for a wider range of cuts
    • Step by Step Manual to Fresh Garnishing for appetising meat displays - using fresh garnishing (see order form)

  • Step by step guides to meat product ideas

  • Business guides
  • Sources of funding

    Check out your local Regional Development Agency or County Council as they may have business grants available, below are some links to those we are aware of, but there are likely to be many others.

    • England Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013
    • Advantage West Midlands are offering grants to farmers to convert their redundant buildings into new premises for rural enterprise. Regions covered: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire & Solihull. The grants are up to £62,500.00 or 25% of eligible project costs. Contact the Redundant building grant scheme manager on:
      01432 383616 or rbgscheme@herefordshire.gov.uk (Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire)
      01785 277706 or rbgscheme@staffordshire.gov.uk (Staffordshire)
      Rural Enterprise Officer at Solihull MBC (Solihull)
    • Business Funding UK - Provide advice and recommend companies that help with business funding in the UK.
    • Business Link Grants and Support Directory - this allows you to search for potential sources of help with starting up or business development. The database contains grant and support schemes from central and local government as well as private organisations.
    • South East England Development Agency - SEEDA is responsible for managing two national Business Support products, which aim to increase the economic activity within the South East, Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) and Grant for Research & Development (G4R&D)
    • The South West of England Regional Development Agency - delivers the Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFI) Grant aimed at businesses of all sizes looking to invest in assisted areas that need a grant to take their vision forward.

Further training Training can be carried out in your own store with the use of independent consultants from the meat industry. Alternatively many local colleges or universities will offer Business Courses or further qualifications like NVQs & SVQs. The following links are a few who offer various types of meat industry training.

    • Meat Training Council - Can offer help and guidance with:
      • Modern Apprenticeships,
      • Education and Training, Products & Services,
      • Careers advice in the meat and poultry sector,
      • HACCP training and guidance material

    Useful websites

    Useful business links

      • Business Link - Practical advice for businesses.
      • The British Chambers of Commerce - The BCC is the national body for a powerful and influential network of Accredited Chambers; a network that serves not only its member businesses employing more than 5 million people but also the wider business community.
      • CIM – Chartered Institute of Marketing - Is the leading international body for marketing and business development. They help people at every stage of their career with training, qualifications and resources as well as enabling leading businesses to get the most from their marketing people.
      • The Food Chain Centre helps everybody involved in food production to benefit from changes."  Using their collection of data from leading research companies in the 'Consumer Library' section, helps farmers capitalise on the many opportunities that are emerging.
      • Small Business Advice Service - Provides free professional advice, using an online enquiry service for independent businesses
      • MLC Industry Consulting & Strategy - IC has been involved in consultancy work in the meat and livestock industry since 1980, providing services for individual companies, regional agencies and local and national government in Great Britain and overseas countries. It undertakes projects in its own right and works in partnership with others.

        Construction or Modification of Meat Plants guidance manuals have been prepared with the support of the Food Standards Agency and Defra to assist those involved in the construction or modification of meat plants. The advice follows regulatory requirements and MLC Industry Consulting's views of “best practice” which often exceed the regulatory requirements. There is a set of 3 manuals one each for - slaughterhouses, cutting plants and processing plants. The manuals can be purchased as a set or separately. For further information or advice please contact MLC Industry Consulting on 01908 844 157 or e-mail john_goodman@ahdms.org.uk or contact Jayne Dines at MLC Economics http://www.mlceconomics.org.uk
      • And don't forget that by doing any or all of the following you can promote your business even further
        • Networking
        • Business Groups
        • Attend Exhibitions
        • Local Business Lunches

    BPEX Team Members Contact Details, for further information or advice:

    Business Guide Development Manager
    claire_holland@ahdbms.org.uk - 01908 844221

    Butchery and Product Development Manager
    keith_fisher@ahdbms.org.uk - 01908 844120

    Consumer & Trade Marketing Manager
    chris_lamb@ahdbms.org.uk - 01908 844247