Retailers urged to back British lamb

The National Farmers' Union have said retailers must do more to promote British lamb in its peak season.

The NFU and British sheep farmers are concerned that some retailers are still failing to back British farming and not putting British lamb front and centre in their stores and promoting it to customers.

The NFU is asking retailers to back British farming by:

• giving our peak season lamb pride of place on their shelves

• helping consumers to choose British by clear product labelling and placement

• promote that our lamb is now in its peak season.

Many retailers will openly discuss the issue on Twitter. If members get a reply they should feel free to continue to ask questions regarding the promotion of British lamb.

NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe said: “I believe I speak for all livestock farmers when I say that I am bitterly disappointed to see that, at a time of year when there is an ample supply of fresh, tender and delicious new season lamb available, some retailers are failing to live up to their commitments to support British farming.

“This year has seen an excellent growing season for lamb, and you would think that this would be reflected on the shelves. Instead, as the photos we have been receiving from members show, facings are still failing to promote this fantastic meat at the peak time of year. The strength of feeling farmers have on this was shown at the Royal Welsh this summer.

“We want to see our world leading British lamb promoted in its peak season. We know that consumers want to buy British – so let’s see our lamb given pride of place on the shelves, with clear labelling and product placement, so consumers can easily identify our peak season product. Morrison’s has been leading the way on backing British farmers, and we applaud them for their commitment to stock 100 per cent British lamb all year round for their own-label products

“Buying Red Tractor fresh British lamb means buying a safe, assured, traceable product that helps maintain the iconic British landscape. I believe it has a bright future, and we continue to see an increase in global demand for our superb product, but in order to have the confidence to invest in this future farmers need to know that they have the backing of our domestic retailers, and if you walk down an aisle in a supermarket and don’t see evidence of this, it does not send the right message at all.”

Peter Garbutt, NFU Chief Livestock Adviser addressed a meeting in Monmouthshire last month, he said, “The long-term prospects for the sheep sector are encouraging as there has been a phenomenal growth in demand from Asia.

“At home, the NFU has written to all the retailers, asking for home-grown lamb to have prominent shelf space and be part of key promotional activity. We are encouraging consumers to back our product – new season lamb is produced to some of the highest welfare standards in the World, it is vital that retailers show clear labelling of home grown lamb which is affordable and freshly supplied and we hope it can be given pride of place on the shelves.”

Members present raised particular concern on the current beef price situation with a distinct lack of confidence in the sector being felt. Peter Garbutt said, “Domestic demand has fallen as beef consumption has decreased. Consumers are eating less beef as the price has increased in store yet the farm-gate prices have reduced. This is not a sustainable situation.”

NFU President Meurig Raymond strongly criticised Tesco’s decision to heavily promote New Zealand lamb in the middle of the prime season for British lamb, given previous commitments that they have made.

The NFU wrote to all supermarkets to highlight that British grass-fed, spring-born lamb is now in peak season while southern hemisphere lamb, born around a year ago, is currently at the end of its season.

Raymond said: “Tesco stated yesterday that ‘With the large demand for lamb we cannot always guarantee consistent UK stock’. I find this comment almost as ridiculous as last September’s statement from Tesco that British lamb was “not in season at the moment in the UK”. I am angry and disappointed that this comes only 18 months after giving such positive undertakings on its sourcing and supply chains for red meat.

“The figures speak for themselves. The UK was self-sufficient in lamb last year and lamb numbers are even higher this year. We have more than enough lamb available.

“I believe that promoting New Zealand lamb over British, and Tesco’s attempts to justify this, misleads consumers about the seasonality of lamb and sends a signal to farmers that Tesco are not prepared to promote the benefits of food produced in the UK. Why promote end of season product, which many view as inferior, over Red Tractor assured, fresh lamb produced in the fields, valleys and hills of England and Wales?

“By these actions Tesco is failing to live up to the commitments made by Philip Clarke at the NFU Conference last year that Tesco should be the best supporter of British farmers and that it wished to shorten the supply chain.