Bothwell butcher proves he's a cut above the rest

Second year butchery apprentice Oscar Campbell has won the 2025 Tasmanian Retail Butcher Apprentice of the Year Competition following a day-long competition held in Hobart recently.

Hosted by the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) at TasTAFE’s Collins Street Campus, Oscar competed against four other butchery apprentices from around Tasmania. 

“I was up against some terrific talent – all the apprentices were of a very high standard, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to go,” said Oscar.

Despite growing up on a farm in Bothwell and being familiar with stock and the meat industry, Oscar hadn’t considered a trade in butchery until he was offered a part-time job at Vermey’s Quality Meats – Oscar’s current employer.

“I started in a part-time delivery role, then spent a few hours a week in the store. After experiencing the super-high talent of the butchers here, I started my apprenticeship.

 “Butchery is a lot more technical than people think, there is a lot of technique involved, and I like learning and understanding the different processes, how to do it – and then working to refine those skills.”

Oscar says he likes using his skills to help others. 

“My brother asked me to bone and roll a shoulder of lamb … it was great to be able to help a member of my family, and when a customer asks for a certain type of product, I find it satisfying to produce it right in front of their eyes.”

Oscar is grateful of the support he has received from his family, TasTAFE teachers Darren Scott and Heath Ransley, and the ‘stellar cast of butchers’ at Vermey’s.

The competition has been designed to showcase the skills and knowledge of apprentices while allowing each competitor to demonstrate his or her ability in knife control and working to competition specifications.

“It’s quite amazing to watch the competition process, and the independent judges look at all stages of preparation - from break up and bone out, to rolling, slicing and the beautifully finished final product,” said TasTAFE Butchery Teacher Darren Scott.

“Our apprentices just love the trade and want to compete. We’ve got men and women who just want to be butchers and nothing else and want to compete nationally and internationally.” 

AMIC State Manager Victoria and Tasmania Andrew Meli, said the regional and national competitions help to build the future of Australia’s meat industry.

“It’s about supporting the industry and our apprentices. These competitions future-proof the industry and support local businesses and independent butchers.

“We offer apprentices the opportunity to compete and show us what they can do, but there’s also the benefit of networking with industry representatives and their colleagues. I get a lot of pleasure watching the apprentices work and seeing what they can produce – and the level of skill I see in the competitions gets better every year,” Andrew said.

Oscar will represent Tasmania at the AMIC National Final in Melbourne in 2026.