The knives are out among Australia's top butchers hoping to make the cut for the industry's Olympics.
More than 30 competitors are being whittled down to a team of six, all of whom will try to carve out a name for themselves at the World Butchers' Challenge in Paris in 2025.
There, they will be judged on everything from their butchering skills to their innovation and presentation.
Team captain Luke Leyson makes no bones about it, the event is all about the prestige.
"There's no money prizes and you don't win a car, but you do get bragging rights for the three years until the next comp, so it's a massive pride thing," he told AAP.
The Australian team heads into the Paris event as the reigning silver medallists, but Mr Leyson has his eye on gold this time around.
The 31-year-old Adelaide butcher is helping to choose his teammates and the competition is tough.
"I'm looking for the best butchers from around Australia showcasing creativity, innovation and passion," he said.
Mr Leyson said cleanliness and organisation were key ingredients in competitive butchering.
"You get judged on every aspect, as soon as you step out there, your uniform, your cleanliness, knife skills, technique, innovation," he said.
"It does get a little bit stressful, if you look down at your bench and you have four or five different things going on."
Melbourne-based Tom Bouchier has already secured himself a spot on the team after making the world top six at the last challenge.
He said the current cost-of-living crunch meant a good butcher needed to be innovative.
"With everything being so expensive, you always have to be tailoring things to a customers' needs, giving them some good meal options for the week," he said.
The 31-year-old works at his family's butcher shop, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the trade.
He has been competing at the championships since he was an apprentice.
"We are in a stadium with fans from all around the world watching, it gets the heart pumping, that's for sure, the adrenaline pumping," he said.
The world challenge originally started out as a Trans-Tasman battle of the butchers but has since grown considerably.
The Paris event is expected to include 18 teams, including reigning world champions Germany.
World Butchers’ Challenge chief executive Ashley Gray said the event showcased the best butchers from around the world and it was a "melting pot of creativity" for all participants.
The Australian team plans to practice several times before the competition and selectors are hoping to have their final line-up announced by the end of the year.
Over three hours at the world event, teams from across the globe will dissect a side of beef, a side of pork, a whole lamb and five chickens, transforming the meat into a display.
Past entrants have been known to turn their cuts into demonstrations of their countries' better-known landmarks.
The Australian team has previously drawn on the outback for inspiration, while the French have assembled a meaty mock-up of the Eiffel Tower.
Mr Bouchier said displays were all about enticing customers and the competition had been good for business.
"My trophies for second and getting into the world team stayed on the counter for months," he said.
"Our customers have loved hearing about it, they've been getting on board and checking in and seeing how the team's going with all the preparation."
Mr Bouchier said the competition helped to promote the industry, while also serving as a way for his family business to find staff.
"We've had quite a few workers come over on working holidays over to Australia, so we've put them on," he said.
"I come from a really long line of butchers in my family - butchering is something I'm really proud of, it's such a great industry."
