The only butchers shop currently operating in the south of the Isle of Man has opened in the heart of Port Erin.

‘Teare Butchers’, which also has another shop located in Ramsey, opened at the beginning of August on Station Road and brings traditional, locally sourced meat back to an area that has been without a dedicated butcher for three years.

The new branch of a long-established family-run business, with roots going back four generations in Ramsey, was opened after a two-and-a-half-year planning and preparation process.

The owners say the move was driven by both community need and a desire to preserve the butchers trade - especially in the south of the island.

Rob Teare, who runs the shop, said: ‘We’ve operated in Ramsey for four generations, but I was very sad to see all the butchers being closed in the south and thought “I’ve got to do something about that”.

‘So I bought the building, and here we are today. It’s been very busy since we opened.’

In October 2023, it was announced that Tesco had bought out all nine Shoprite stores in the Isle of Man, with Shoprite previously having a strong reputation of selling local produce from local companies in their stores.

Concerns were raised that Tesco’s takeover would lead to fewer opportunities for local producers to sell their goods through mainstream retail channels.

Asked if he thinks butcher shops are a good alternative, Rob said: ‘We want to know our customers. We don’t care about their data, we just want to know them and to serve them what they want.

‘We know what we’re selling and if customers want their meat cut in a certain way, we can do that for them.

‘It’s a different kind of thing [to buying meat in retail stores], so I don’t want to knock anyone else.

‘What I would say is that there is definitely a place in the world for butchers.’

The shop offers a full range of meats, including beef, pork, lamb and fish, with plans to introduce game in the coming weeks.

While poultry is sourced from the UK due to supply limitations on the island, most other products are purely Manx.

Juan Qualtrough, who also works at the new shop in Port Erin, said: ‘In the south, there used to be Mal’s Butchers in this building, and Radcliffe’s Butchers where I used to work in Castletown.

‘It’s a shame that these places closed. The customers have definitely missed having a butchers down here - you can tell that’s the case since we opened, as people seem to really enjoy coming in.’

The Department for Enterprise played a key role in helping get the shop up and running, providing support through the ‘Town and Village Regeneration Scheme’.

Additional equipment was also sourced with help from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).

‘We couldn’t have got the shop open without that support, as it’s a very expensive operation to run,’ Rob added.

‘We are very grateful for that, and that’s why we are absolutely dedicated to getting Manx meat out there again in the south.’