Plan ahead for lamb, urges NFU

FARMERS and retailers are being urged by the NFU to plan ahead when it comes to lamb.

With the main lambing season getting into full swing, a good season in 2014, and Easter arriving early, now is the time to look to the future.

The NFU wants supermarkets to support British farming and show serious commitments to sourcing new season British lamb.

Recent polls also show that the public want to buy home-grown food, with 85 per cent of shoppers keen to see supermarkets selling more food from British farms.

NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe, who has now finished lambing for the season, has turned his thoughts towards the upcoming marketing period.

“It hasn’t been a bad year for lamb,” said Mr Sercombe. “Given the exchange rate, I think it has been a tribute to the high esteem that our product is held that exports for 2014 hit 40 per cent of production, even in a year where good weather meant more lambs forward. Opening more markets will be crucial in the future, an area where government support will be vital.

He said he hoped that people would be using Red Tractor-assured British lamb for their Easter Sunday meal, as those farmers who take the risk to lamb early, need the support of the British public, and that the Easter uplift is a vital part of the marketing strategy for any early lambing flock.

He said: “There is still plenty of British lamb about, both in terms of old season lamb, and there will be lambs coming through for Easter that were born in the earliest part of the 2015 season.

“I want this to be a year where we see everyone working together to make the most of what, I believe, is truly a world leading product.

"There is strong demand for lamb abroad, but we must have no illusions that the global climate may present challenges. With that in mind, the domestic market must remain robust, if farmers are to see a decent return, and consumers are to get the product they demand."

He added that anyone who enjoys tasty British lamb and wants more of it to be available in supermarkets and restaurants should add their name to the thousands of people who already say: Great British Food gets My Vote. To vote go to voteBritishfood.com.