The South Wales & Three Counties Herald’s Supplement
THE FARMING
EXPRESS
Red meat worth £1bn a year to Wales' economy, finds report
A factor behind the Welsh Beef and
Lamb's market is its status as Protected
Geographical Indication - a tag also given
to Champagne and Parma ham
The Welsh Beef and Lamb industry is
worth £1bn a year to the nation’s economy,
a new report reveals today.
The independent paper examining the
impact of red meat promotion agency
Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) since it was
established in 2003 also states that exports
of the two products alone are valued at
more than £200m a year.And it found that
promoting Welsh Beef and Lamb in the
UK and abroad over the last decade has
injected £115m into the economy.
The report entitled Flying the Flag – A
decade of success for the Welsh red meat
brands, which was launched last night in
Cardiff, details how the red meat industry
is worth £1bn a year when the farming,
processing and retail sectors are added
together.
First Minister Carwyn Jones, who was
the Welsh Government’s Rural Affairs
Minister when HCC was created, said:
“One of the reasons that Welsh Lamb and
Welsh Beef have been so successful in
these overseas markets – apart from their
superior taste and quality – is the fact
that both have Protected Geographical
Indication (PGI) status from the European
Commission.”
PGI status ensures that only products
genuinely originating in that region are
allowed to be described and sold as such.
In the case of Welsh Lamb and Beef, the
buyer is guaranteed that the produce is
born, raised and slaughtered within Wales.
Melton Mowbray pork pies, Camembert
cheese, Champagne and Parma ham are
other notable PGI products.
Mr Jones said: “PGI is seen as a mark of
quality in many countries outside Europe.
“It has helped boost demand for our lamb
and beef, creating jobs and wealth back
here in Wales.”
A spokesman for HCC said the quality of
Welsh Lamb is now recognised by multiple
retailers with “virtually all of them
including it in their premium quality lines”.
He added: “HCC, working with Wales’
processing companies, has succeeded in
being the first meat producing country
within the UK to break into the lucrative
market of the United Arab Emirates, the
gateway to the Middle East.
“Since then Welsh Lamb has been first
into Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and
Scandinavia.”
The body is currently targeting customers
in China, Russia and the United States.
HCC chairman Dai Davies said there had
been several notable achievements in its
10-year existence.
“Here in the UK, HCC’s campaigns have
resulted in Welsh Lamb becoming the
most recognisable lamb brand among
consumers,” he said.
“HCC has also succeeded in ensuring that
Welsh health authorities only serve PGI
Welsh Beef, and that many local authorities
only put PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh
Beef on their menus.
“We have worked closely with farmers
and processors, targeting key challenges
facing the industry to improve productivity
and therefore the quality of the products
produced.
“We have cooperated with both
independent butchers and multiples to
promote Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef,
and HCC has been active with the tourism
industry in encouraging the hospitality
sector to make greater use of food
provenance on their menus.”
Mr Davies added: “Health and education
haven’t been left out.
“Two cookbooks encouraging primary
school children to take an active role in the
kitchen and emphasising the importance of
a balanced diet for a healthy lifestyle have
been produced and distributed to more than
70,000 children.
“A similar book but aimed at students has
so far been distributed to more than 25,000
young adults across Wales. And the role
of red meat in a healthy diet has been the
subject of numerous seminars with health
professionals.”