This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/mar/20/uk-supermarkets-urged-to-stock-more-british-lamb
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| UK supermarkets urged to stock more British lamb | UK supermarkets urged to stock more British lamb |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Farmers have called on retailers to do more to support the British lamb industry, with only one supermarket chain set to sell entirely UK-grown lamb for Easter. | Farmers have called on retailers to do more to support the British lamb industry, with only one supermarket chain set to sell entirely UK-grown lamb for Easter. |
| A classic roast leg of lamb remains a popular family dish over the Easter holiday. However, despite industry efforts to reduce the amount of chilled and frozen lamb imported from New Zealand, only the German discount chain Aldi will sell entirely British-grown fresh lamb on a significant scale this Easter. | A classic roast leg of lamb remains a popular family dish over the Easter holiday. However, despite industry efforts to reduce the amount of chilled and frozen lamb imported from New Zealand, only the German discount chain Aldi will sell entirely British-grown fresh lamb on a significant scale this Easter. |
| Tesco, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Morrisons are all selling New Zealand lamb this Easter, typically topped up by small supplies of early season British lamb which is more expensive. The higher production costs associated with rearing lambs “out of season”, in indoor conditions in the winter months, mean it attracts a premium price. This is particularly relevant this year because Easter takes place earlier than in recent years. | Tesco, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Morrisons are all selling New Zealand lamb this Easter, typically topped up by small supplies of early season British lamb which is more expensive. The higher production costs associated with rearing lambs “out of season”, in indoor conditions in the winter months, mean it attracts a premium price. This is particularly relevant this year because Easter takes place earlier than in recent years. |
| Tom Fullick, the National Farmers’ Union’s livestock adviser, said all retailers should make clear to farmers when they wanted to source from the UK, so they could plan their production cycle all year round if necessary | Tom Fullick, the National Farmers’ Union’s livestock adviser, said all retailers should make clear to farmers when they wanted to source from the UK, so they could plan their production cycle all year round if necessary |
| “We welcome this move by Aldi and we hope it will encourage other retailers to follow suit,” he said. “Our peak lambing season is March to May, but we can produce lambs earlier provided we get sufficient notice. If the supermarkets want it, we can produce it, but it’s a lengthy planning cycle, and a consistent frustration for farmers is that labelling on sourcing is not clear enough for consumers.” | “We welcome this move by Aldi and we hope it will encourage other retailers to follow suit,” he said. “Our peak lambing season is March to May, but we can produce lambs earlier provided we get sufficient notice. If the supermarkets want it, we can produce it, but it’s a lengthy planning cycle, and a consistent frustration for farmers is that labelling on sourcing is not clear enough for consumers.” |
| The UK is the world’s third largest lamb exporter – after Australia and New Zealand - with just over a third of the market. According to retail analysts Mintec the peak for lamb consumption in the UK is typically in the month which Easter falls, with an average of almost 8,000 tonnes eaten. | The UK is the world’s third largest lamb exporter – after Australia and New Zealand - with just over a third of the market. According to retail analysts Mintec the peak for lamb consumption in the UK is typically in the month which Easter falls, with an average of almost 8,000 tonnes eaten. |
| “Lamb is a dish for all year round,” Fullick added. “Lamb gave turkey a run for its money in the run-up to the Christmas period and it actually outperformed turkey in value sales.” | “Lamb is a dish for all year round,” Fullick added. “Lamb gave turkey a run for its money in the run-up to the Christmas period and it actually outperformed turkey in value sales.” |
| Aldi’s fresh whole leg of British Lamb will retail at just £3.79 a kg, undercutting many competitors’ half price Easter promotions on New Zealand imports. The German discounter – the UK’s sixth largest supermarket – said its competitors relied solely or significantly upon imports from New Zealand for their Easter whole leg promotions, taking advantage of lower buying prices and greater availability. | Aldi’s fresh whole leg of British Lamb will retail at just £3.79 a kg, undercutting many competitors’ half price Easter promotions on New Zealand imports. The German discounter – the UK’s sixth largest supermarket – said its competitors relied solely or significantly upon imports from New Zealand for their Easter whole leg promotions, taking advantage of lower buying prices and greater availability. |
| Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying, said: “At Aldi, we pride ourselves on offering customers the best of British all year round. Our British Easter lamb proposition underpins our long term commitment to British farming and reinforces the fact that we will not be beaten on price.” | Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying, said: “At Aldi, we pride ourselves on offering customers the best of British all year round. Our British Easter lamb proposition underpins our long term commitment to British farming and reinforces the fact that we will not be beaten on price.” |
| Kantar data revealed that Aldi has a 5.1% volume share of lamb across UK retailers, with sales growing at 36.5% over the quarter to the end of February. | Kantar data revealed that Aldi has a 5.1% volume share of lamb across UK retailers, with sales growing at 36.5% over the quarter to the end of February. |
| The Co-op is offering shoppers special offers on lamb for Easter, but all the cuts have been shipped in from New Zealand. Fresh legs of lamb are currently half price – now £6.24 a kg – which will continue through Easter. A Co-op spokeswoman said: “We have been working hard with our farmers and suppliers and are really pleased that this year we are able to significantly increase the length of our British lamb season. We only replace British lamb with New Zealand during late winter/early Spring when British lamb is out of season.” | |
| Morrisons is stocking 24 British lines of lamb and one imported line, for supply top up reasons. But its Easter offer - £4 a kg – is a leg of lamb from New Zealand, while its British lamb leg is only available from the meat counter and at £10 a kg is not part of the offer. | Morrisons is stocking 24 British lines of lamb and one imported line, for supply top up reasons. But its Easter offer - £4 a kg – is a leg of lamb from New Zealand, while its British lamb leg is only available from the meat counter and at £10 a kg is not part of the offer. |
| Lidl said it is committed to sourcing all its fresh listed lamb from British farmers from July until the end of the year, while it sells Scotch lamb all year round in Scotland. The Easter “specials” it is currently promoting include a New Zealand lamb carvery leg (costing £3.79 a kg but with no mention of New Zealand in current press adverts), a Deluxe West Country spatchcock lamb leg and a Deluxe prime Scotch rack of lamb. | Lidl said it is committed to sourcing all its fresh listed lamb from British farmers from July until the end of the year, while it sells Scotch lamb all year round in Scotland. The Easter “specials” it is currently promoting include a New Zealand lamb carvery leg (costing £3.79 a kg but with no mention of New Zealand in current press adverts), a Deluxe West Country spatchcock lamb leg and a Deluxe prime Scotch rack of lamb. |
| A spokeswoman said: “We are currently selling both British and New Zealand lamb in our UK stores, and are proud to report that we are experiencing the strongest year-on-year growth in fresh lamb sales within the UK retail sector, as reported by Kantar World Panel. We feel that this can only be a positive contribution to the British lamb industry and we will continue to support and champion British lamb farmers as much as we can.” | A spokeswoman said: “We are currently selling both British and New Zealand lamb in our UK stores, and are proud to report that we are experiencing the strongest year-on-year growth in fresh lamb sales within the UK retail sector, as reported by Kantar World Panel. We feel that this can only be a positive contribution to the British lamb industry and we will continue to support and champion British lamb farmers as much as we can.” |
| At Marks & Spencer, New Zealand lamb will be sold alongside new season British lamb which will be going on sale from Wednesday, produced by a small number of selected farms in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire and available only in selected stores. | At Marks & Spencer, New Zealand lamb will be sold alongside new season British lamb which will be going on sale from Wednesday, produced by a small number of selected farms in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire and available only in selected stores. |
| Anna Playfair-Hanney, agricultural expert at M&S said: “New season British lamb is a lovely family tradition for Easter and we’re delighted we’re able to offer customers the first of the season just in time for Easter. Through our long-standing relationship with our famers, we are able to source our speciality range of UK lamb from some of the best suppliers in the country.” | Anna Playfair-Hanney, agricultural expert at M&S said: “New season British lamb is a lovely family tradition for Easter and we’re delighted we’re able to offer customers the first of the season just in time for Easter. Through our long-standing relationship with our famers, we are able to source our speciality range of UK lamb from some of the best suppliers in the country.” |
| Waitrose will be selling New Zealand lamb in pre-packs in its chiller section, while on its service meat counter it will stock British lamb from Dorset and the West Country, and Welsh lamb in Wales and Scotland. | Waitrose will be selling New Zealand lamb in pre-packs in its chiller section, while on its service meat counter it will stock British lamb from Dorset and the West Country, and Welsh lamb in Wales and Scotland. |
| The UK’s largest retailer Tesco, a major importer of New Zealand lamb, is working closely with UK farmers to increase its offering said it will next month launch a trial to develop a cost of production model for lamb, along of the lines of that in the dairy industry. | The UK’s largest retailer Tesco, a major importer of New Zealand lamb, is working closely with UK farmers to increase its offering said it will next month launch a trial to develop a cost of production model for lamb, along of the lines of that in the dairy industry. |
| A spokeswoman said: “What we are looking at with this trial is not the short-term fix, but how we, farmers and processors can work together to help make sure we have a truly sustainable lamb industry in the future.” | A spokeswoman said: “What we are looking at with this trial is not the short-term fix, but how we, farmers and processors can work together to help make sure we have a truly sustainable lamb industry in the future.” |