Ready meals offer a new market for sheep farms
EIGHT sheep producers are collaborating with a multi-million pound food processing company in a bid to take their PGI Welsh lamb to the UK market place in a new range of ready meals.
Miriam Williams, director of Roberts of Port Dinorwic, which supplies food service companies, retail, pub, restaurant and leisure groups throughout the UK, advised the group that their lamb could be the perfect core ingredient for the rapidly growing readymeals market.
Ffermydd Teuluol – Family Farms, which is the brand name adopted by the group, first got together last year thanks to support from Farming Connect’s Agrisgôp programme, which supports farmers to take forward ideas to help them run sustainable, viable businesses.
Group leader Aaron Hughes set up the Agrisgôp group in response to industry concerns that UK consumption for lamb was dropping dramatically year on year, and he knew a number of local farmers who were worried about how that might impact on the future viability of their respective businesses.
“We were all producing highquality lamb, but in order to increase the volume of sales, we needed to consider how best to add value by investigating various processing options and market opportunities,” said group member Michael Jones, who farms at Llandygai near Bangor.
“That initial support through Agrisgôp was pivotal to our progress. Not only did we tap into other subsidised Farming Connect support services such as business and technical advice and nutrient management planning, but Aaron signposted us to other support organisations and business experts which then gave us the confidence and knowledge to produce our own business plan,” said Mr Jones.
The group recently featured in an S4C programme about Wales after devolution, presented by Huw Edwards.
Mr Jones said that tapping into the expertise of a local processing firm has made the group optimism for the future.
“Thanks to working in partnership with this hugely successful local company, we are optimistic about the potential to expand out on lamb flocks, as well as providing new opportunities for other top quality PGI lamb producers throughout Wales,” said Mr Jones.
“We’re excited to trial the range of pre-cooked ready meals, which will be served up with a range of flavoursome sauces including rosemary and red wine, Moroccan and curry flavour.”
Ms Williams added: “It’s still early days, but we are already having a hugely positive reaction to our trials of this new range of pre-cooked meals from a number of our top UK buyers.