Butcher weighs in to fight for pounds and ounces

4 February 2000

Butcher weighs in to fight for pounds and ounces

Ever feel so strongly about something that youre prepared to break the law over it? One farmer-cum-hotelier did when

it came to the

beef-on-the-bone ban. And as far as one butchers concerned,

scrapping imperial measurements in favour of metric is another such issue. Tim Relf asks both men about their fight with the system, about

food, farming, their punters – and

the possibility

of prison

Butcher Dave Stephens

could be facing a fine and

a spell in jail for defying a

new EU law governing how

meat is sold. But its worth

it, says the self-styled

Churchillian who seems in

no mood to back down

THERES an old boxing expression, says butcher Dave Stephens. "Winners dont quit and quitters dont win."

And the 40-year veteran of the meat trade has no intention of quitting the battle to keep pounds and ounces in his shop.

Its a fight that could end him in court for breaking rules which came into force on Jan 1 dictating that traders swap from imperial to metric measures.

"I wont pay it," he says of any possible fine. "Ill go to prison. We will have to dismiss our staff, bankrupt our business and lose our home."

It was last autumn that this battle began. Dave had just got married to Mandy and his shop, Mandys Chop Shop in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, was as busy as ever. But then he heard from Trading Standards that pounds and ounces had to be replaced by kilos and grammes.

"We didnt impose pounds, shillings and pence on Europe after the War. I thought it was a liberty. I thought I would make a stand."

Every year, Dave explains, a couple of World War Two veterans collect money outside the shop on Armistice Day. But last November there was only one. The other one was ill and, sadly, died shortly after Poppy Day. "They served in World War Two to liberate Europe from tyranny. Now we are being dictated to by Europe. As an Englishman, I felt it was wrong."

But this battle is not just one of principle. Dave reckons changing his weighing scales, advertising, meat tickets and posters could cost over £2500. So he started a petition with the aim of getting 2000 signatures. But the number has topped 3000 and is still rising. The phone has hardly stopped ringing. Letters have arrived with messages of support. Shopkeepers around the country have backed him. "If we get jailed there will be a revolution."

Meanwhile, its business as usual in the shop. Walk around and, on the face of it, its not much different from a lot of other butchers shops. But look in the chill counters and there isnt a single mention of kilos. Not one. Diced turkey is priced at £1.69/lb, pigs kidney at £1.29/lb, chicken thighs at 79p/lb and ox liver at 59p/lb.

One of his regulars comes in. "What do you want a kilo of, Doris?" he bellows, laughing. "A kilo. Whats a kilo?" she replies.

Its not just shopkeepers that are suffering from Brussels-born bureaucracy, he says. "The farmers are getting a raw deal. Its a disgrace that we are begging Europe to buy our wonderful beef and, at the same time, supermarkets are buying meat from Europe."

But what about the prospect of prison? "I cant believe an English judge would persecute a small businessman for doing what Im doing. Theres no way a weighing scale is an offensive weapon. Im not hurting anyone. Im not harming anyone.

"Ive taken a Churchillian attitude – you dont give in on the first round."

Its not the first such stand hes taken, either. Dave sold beef-on-the-bone despite it, until recently, having been outlawed. "We just served the customer with what they wanted."

Then the subject of prison comes up again. And soon, Daves laughing: "I could do with two years holiday. We havent had a holiday for 10 years."

Scaling up the fight… Shopkeepers are up in arms over new rules governing how food is sold (above).

A bone of contention… Beef is still the subject of fierce debate nearly four years after the BSE crisis erupted (below).

Joint effort… Dave and Mandy have vowed to fight the law from their Leigh-on-Sea butchers shop.

What the Department of Trade and Industry say about metrification:

From Jan 1, it has been an offence for traders to sell loose goods in pounds and ounces. They can use machines which show both sets of weights provided the metric units are at least as prominent as imperial ones.

Its the same for display information such as labels and posters.

Customers can still ask for goods in the traditional way but the shopkeeper will have to supply the equivalent in grammes or kilogrammes.