Glan Haswell Butchers Ltd is a third generation of family butchers with a shop in Silksworth, Sunderland, providing a base for trade butchers supplying meat to hotels and restaurants from beef and lamb butchered at Homer Hill Farm, Rainton Gate, Durham.
However, with changes in shopping habits resulting in reduced sales, the future of the shop and the farm business was threatened.

One North East’s approval of £180,000 through its Rural Development for England (RDPE) programme will fund the relocation of the butchers shop from Silksworth to an existing building at Homer Hill Farm creating a new specialist butchers shop at the farm, safeguarding the future of both businesses while also allowing for growth, increased profits and traceability.
The project will create 12 jobs and safeguard 18 and as the farm shop will also sell other locally grown products such as vegetables and dairy products from other existing rural producers it will provide a knock-on effect for businesses in the region.
One North East’s Chairman Margaret Fay officially opened the shop, and said: "The diversification of this farm will provide direct and far-reaching benefits to existing and new employees to work in the farm shop. The change of shop premises will also respond to consumer demand for buying local farm-reared meat where traceability and high quality are paramount. Local products that are seasonal also involve no air miles and offer good value for money to the local economy.

"RDPE seeks to encourage farm diversification in this way where the benefits are not only far-reaching for the recipient but also indirect beneficiaries - in this case local producers who will supply the farm - whose businesses will also benefit boosting the local economy."

Glan and Jean Haswell have developed their retail and wholesale butchers business themselves for over 30 years and have developed Homer Hill Farm over 20 years, so they have vast experience in improving their business to ensure this latest venture is a success.

Jean said: "The farm shop will focus on the renowned Haswell beef and lamb produced on our farm which will provide a unique selling point. The authentic relationship between home reared animals coupled with our reputation, location, goods on offer provides us with real potential to succeed and grow the business so we were thrilled to receive the backing of RDPE to help us achieve our aims.

"The changes will make our business more efficient by co-locating the farm animal rearing, butchers base and retail operations on one site and customers – new and existing – will be provided with a wider choice of locally produced food with traceability."

The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, with the aim of delivering targeted support to rural businesses and communities. It is managed in North East England by One North East, Natural England and the Forestry Commission.

The RDPE investment being managed by One North East combines larger projects to help many businesses in different sectors of the rural economy - including bioenergy and land-based skills, and projects adding value to agricultural and forestry products - with smaller investments to help individual businesses to start-up, grow or diversify, and support to develop more sustainable rural communities.

RDPE Business Support is part of Solutions for Business, the Government’s package of publicly funded support products offering help to companies to start, grow and succeed. Solutions for Business makes it easier for businesses to get the advice and assistance that they need.