The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fife farmer’s lamb promotion plea
Industry urged to get together to promote high-quality Scottish meat
A well-known Fife sheep farmer is calling on his farming peers to help encourage consumers to view Scotch Lamb as a must-have product in their shopping baskets.
George Milne, who previously worked as the National Sheep Association’s Scottish development officer, says the industry must rally together to encourage consumers to include homeproduced Scotch Lamb in their regular diet.
“Lamb is an unsung hero of Scottish produce and, by being at the forefront of showcasing its versatility and fantastic taste, we can promote to the public the time and dedication we, as farmers, put in to rearing an animal to some of the highest welfare and environmental standards in the world,” said Mr Milne, who sits on the board of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) which oversees and runs the Scotch Lamb brand.
“Consumers should be proud of Scottish agriculture and the farmers that produce their food.”
He encouraged farmers to try to connect closer to the consumer, and said sharing their stories on social media and making use of QMS marketing material would help.
“Although the ordinary face-to-face methods of interaction – such as farm visits – are not available to us right now, we can use this opportunity to take a step back, to take a few steps forward when it comes to educating and building trust with consumers,” added Mr Milne.
He said the combination of summer months and a growing interest in people cooking at home were the ideal catalysts for farmers to get involved and encourage consumers to give Scotch Lamb a try.
“During the summer months, many of us are turning to the barbecue for our evening meals and traditionally that meant reaching for sausages or burgers – but what we need to be promoting is that higher quality cuts of meat are just as suited to the barbecue,” said Mr Milne.
He said a leg of lamb could easily be cooked on the barbecue and farmers, butchers and others involved in the red meat supply chain should encourage people to give it and other lamb products a try.
“We are producing a high-quality product and there are a number of ways that we can help drive a positive relationship built on mutual trust and respect,” added Mr Milne.
“It can be as simple as submitting your favourite lamb recipe to your local newspaper, sharing information about how it is reared on social media, or simply sharing and supporting content from the Scotch Kitchen on QMS social channels.”