Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

COURIER OPINION: Perthshire butcher Simon Howie speaks for all of us on energy company ‘bullying’

Photo shows Simon Howie standing next to a field of cattle.
Simon Howie says rocketing energy bills are hitting his butcher business.

We are all feeling the pinch as winter approaches and energy costs soar.

And it is not just those on the margins of society who are feeling the pressure.

The burden on businesses is also great.

Perthshire butcher Simon Howie has told us his energy costs have increased tenfold in recent times.

Photo shows Simon Howie holding a selection of haggis products.
Butcher Simon Howie has built one of Scotland’s best-known brands at his base in Dunning.

It is an astonishing burden that even the best off, most successful businesses would struggle to bear.

And it all contributes towards a vicious cycle.

Businesses struggle to meet energy costs, so are left with no option but to pass the increases on to customers, who are already hard-pressed and so find it increasingly difficult to fork out for essentials.

This lack of a vibrant market hits businesses, which therefore find it ever more arduous to pay bills… and so it goes on.

Ultimately the situation will only serve to further damage a fragile economy, still reeling from coronavirus lockdowns.

The UK Government may not have its own problems to seek at present, but tackling the energy crisis must remain a top priority.

Conversation