Scottish sheep farmers are being urged to donate lambs to schools across Scotland this autumn as part of an annual St Andrew’s Day initiative.
Since its inception in 2020, the 'Lamb Bank' has delivered over 2.75 tonnes of lamb to dozens of Scottish secondary schools.
It is part of the Lamb for St Andrew’s Day initiative to promote the merits of Scottish-produced lamb to UK consumers.
Farmers can donate the value of store, prime and breeding lambs, cull and breeding ewes and tups to the Lamb Bank.
Donation can be done via any Scottish auction market or by getting in touch directly with the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS).
The campaign has also been credited with supporting and improving the prime lamb price throughout autumn, with the price usually tracking upwards.
Neil Wilson, executive director of Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS), has called on more farmers to participate for 2024.
"Every year the Lamb Bank has gained momentum, and we are extremely grateful to all those who donate and spread the word," he said.
“It makes a huge difference to what we can achieve, and the response we get from teachers and school pupils shows the power of a really tangible, hands-on project like this.”
To date, marts across Scotland have made a significant donation themselves towards the initiative, in addition to the donations from the industry.
Again, for this year, more farmers and others in the supply chain are being asked to donate for the overall benefit of the sector.
"The greater the number of young people we can reach, the more we can encourage them to choose lamb from butchers’ chillers and shop shelves," Mr Wilson said.
Nicola Wordie, an advocate for sheep farming with a big following through her Livestock_farmher channel on social media, has supported the Lamb Bank since 2020.
She said: “Since this campaign started, we have supported it as it allows children to try and taste Scottish lamb, learn about the qualities of red meat and how important local food chains are.
"I would encourage other farmers to support where they can, and to have fun getting creative on social media as well, posting and resharing as much as possible to spread the word and widen the support.”
