EDINBURGH'S independent butchers today hit out at the lack of Scottish chickens on their shelves.

They say they are being forced to buy English birds after the main supplier of Scottish chickens switched its attention to supplying big supermarkets.

Mitchells of Letham, Scotland's biggest chicken suppliers, has stopped deliveries to the independent sector as the Angus-based firm begins moves to tie-up with clients such as Tesco.

There are now just two Scottish suppliers left supplying chickens to independent traders but they are a fraction of the size of Mitchells, which has supplied more than 450 butchers across Scotland for decades. The move means that residents will only be able to buy Scottish chickens from Edinburgh's supermarkets.

City butchers today insisted their customers preferred Scottish produce and hit out at the "farce" which forces them to buy their chickens from England.

John Saunderson, who owns a shop in Tollcross and is chairman of the local traders association, said: "It is a real worry. We had been dealing with Mitchells for more than 30 years but they said this week this would be our last order. It seems a bit of a farce that we have to rely on chickens from down south when there are suppliers here in Scotland.

"I was at (industry event) Meatex the other weekend and it was the talk of the show."

The city's butchers have benefited from a resurgence in demand for fresh meat in recent years, buoyed by the success of initiatives such as the weekly farmers' market on Castle Terrace.

Michael Field, owner of Michael Field Butchers in Marchmont, said: "I think it is a ridiculous situation we find ourselves in. The problem is we don't really have a chance because we are small independent operators and these companies will essentially decide what they want to do with the market. My big selling point is that everything I sell is Scottish, but I won't be able to say that anymore."

There are more than 850 million chickens reared by the UK poultry meat industry every year, with the poultry industry's worth £3.4 billion to the UK economy every year.

Ex-councillor Fred Mackintosh said: "It looks like Scottish butchers have been frozen out by major supermarkets. It is farcical that Edinburgh butchers like Michael Field in Marchmont have to get their poultry from Cheshire."

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