Editing Butcher (section)

{{Short description|Craftsperson responsible for the preparation and sale of meat}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|The Butcher|the New Zealand canoeist|Finn Butcher}}
{{Infobox Occupation
| name               = Butcher
| image              =  {{multiple image
|border                   = infobox
|total_width              = 300
|image_style              = border:1;
|caption_align            = center
|perrow                   = 1/2/2/2
|image1                   = Wiki Loves Mett P1020898.JPG
|caption1                 = Butcher separating the ribs into scallops and thick ribs
|image2                   = Chinese butcher.jpg
|caption2                 = Butcher in [[Meizhou]], China
|image3                   = Prémices d'un succulent civet.jpg
|caption3                 = Butcher in [[Blois]], France 
|image4                   = Algerian Butcher.jpg
|caption4                = An [[Berbers|Amazigh]] Algerian butcher
|image5                   = Female Butcher.jpg
|caption5                 = Butcher at Ikot Nakanda Market, [[Akpabuyo]], Nigeria}}

<!------------Details------------------->
| type               = [[Vocation]]
| activity_sector    = [[Manufacturing]]
| competencies       = 
| formation          = 
| employment_field   = [[Retail]]
| related_occupation = [[Animal husbandry]]
}}
A '''butcher''' is a person who may [[Animal slaughter|slaughter animals]], dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks.<ref name="mw">{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butcher |title=Merriam-Webster's Dictionary's definition of "butcher" |access-date=2010-04-25 |archive-date=2013-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512161559/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butcher |url-status=live }}</ref> They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments. A butcher may be employed by [[supermarkets]], [[grocery stores]], [[butcher shops]] and [[fish market]]s, [[slaughter house]]s, or may be [[Self-employment|self-employed]].<ref name="gov">{{cite web |url=http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=6251 |title=Employment information for butchers |access-date=2010-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405003310/http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=6251 |archive-date=2010-04-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Butchery is an ancient trade, whose duties may date back to the [[domestication]] of [[livestock]]; its practitioners formed [[guilds]] in [[England]] as far back as 1272.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yorkbutchersgild.com/pages/history.html |title=York Butchers' Guild |publisher=Yorkbutchersgild.com |access-date=2012-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308184834/http://www.yorkbutchersgild.com/pages/history.html |archive-date=2012-03-08 }}</ref> Since the 20th century, many countries and local jurisdictions offer [[Professional certification|trade certifications]] for butchers in order to ensure quality, safety, and health standards but not all butchers have formal certification or training. Trade qualification in English-speaking countries is often earned through an [[apprenticeship]] although some training organisations also certify their students. In Canada, once a butcher is trade qualified, they can learn to become a master butcher (Fleishmaster).<ref name="gov2">{{cite web |url=http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/6251.shtml |title=Job futures statistics |publisher=Servicecanada.gc.ca |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807182133/http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/6251.shtml |archive-date=2009-08-07 }}</ref><ref name="shaw">{{cite web|url=http://members.shaw.ca/masterbutcher/butcher.html |title=Master Butcher's Guide |publisher=Members.shaw.ca |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060923043724/http://members.shaw.ca/masterbutcher/butcher.html |archive-date=2006-09-23 }}</ref>

Standards and practices of butchery differ between countries, regions and ethnic groups. Variation with respect to the types of animals that are butchered as well as the cuts and parts of the animal that are sold depends on the types of foods that are prepared by the butcher's customers.