Fifers are being hit in the pocket by the closure of the region’s slaughterhouse.
Butchers have been forced to raise prices due to the increased cost of transporting animals.
St Andrews Abattoir closed in July, leaving customers to transfer their business to facilities in Dunblane, Shotts and Wishaw.
Unable to absorb additional haulage fees on top of rising prices at market, many butchers have already or intend to put prices up.
John Hutchison, of Ceres Butcher, now uses Shotts abattoir and said transporting a single cow costs up to £80 instead of £30.
He said: “That’s a big increase and we just can’t take the cost on our own. We have increased haulage costs because we are still buying at Forfar market and it’s further for the cattle to be taken to Shotts and back. Everyone is in the same boat.”
Amos Smith, of WF Stark, Buckhaven, has similar haulage bills. “It has been a big upheaval, moving to Shotts,” he said.
“Our prices will have to go up and I don’t know anyone that’s not going to have to do that.”
Like most local butchers, Scott Burns, of J Hastie, Markinch, takes pride in the quality of meat he sells and fears those in the trade may have to compromise.
Describing the rise in haulage costs as “astronomical”, he said: “It may force people to stop buying quality cattle and going to boxed beef, which is what the supermarkets use.
“We are going to have to put our prices up shortly but we are trying to keep them as low as possible so we don’t chase customers away.”
Tom Mitchell, of Puddledub Pork, near Kirkcaldy, criticised the closure but sees a silver lining to the cloud. Using Dunblane abattoir instead of St Andrews costs him an extra half day of work a week, as a separate vehicle is needed for Fife deliveries, which used to be done as carcases were collected.
But he said: “There are opportunities as well as disadvantages.
“For instance, our van was near Falkirk and a man who saw it phoned, asking if we could supply his new deli in Falkirk.”
There are proposals for a Premier Inn hotel and M&S Simply Food store on the abattoir site. A planning application was withdrawn in June but has been resubmitted.