A Greater Victoria institution for meats B次元官网网址� including its haggis B次元官网网址� has shut down its three shops after 35 years in operation.

Ronald Orr & Son Family Butcher, which had locations in Saanich, Brentwood Bay and most recently Sidney, closed Oct. 20 with little warning.

According to members of the Orr family, who posted statements on the butcher shopB次元官网网址檚 Facebook page, the poor economy and large supermarket chains are to blame for the end of the business.

B次元官网网址淚n the United States and Canada, butcher shops are becoming less common because of the increasing popularity of supermarkets,B次元官网网址� wrote Lori Magi Orr.

B次元官网网址淪upermarkets employ butchers for secondary butchery, but in the United States and Alberta even that role is diminished with the advent of B次元官网网址榗ase-readyB次元官网网址� meat, where the product is packaged for retail sale at the packinghouse or specialized central processing plants.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淎 small butcher shop, like my family, canB次元官网网址檛 survive on selling only the specialty items,B次元官网网址� added Julie Hebb on the Facebook page. B次元官网网址淲hen the majority of the population is buying in bulk and mass produced lower quality products, it makes it difficult for the little guy.B次元官网网址�

A number of people on the Facebook discussion thanked the Orr clan for years of good meats and service, and lamented the decline of small, neighbourhood shops.

The Orr family haven't responded to requests for interviews.

kslavin@saanichnews.com