With Rob Lewis, NFU Cymru Livestock Board Chairman

AS Love Lamb Week kicks off for another year, NFU Cymru is continuing to work with farmers to showcase delicious, nutritious and climate friendly PGI Welsh Lamb. Now in its eighth year, Love Lamb Week runs from September 1st to 7th and aims to shine a light on the sustainability of UK sheep production, whilst also reminding consumers of the exceptional taste and quality that UK lamb brings to the dinner table.

Welsh sheep farmers produce the finest quality lamb in the world. Our landscapes and climate conditions make us extremely proud that our country is one of the world’s most sustainable places to produce red meat. We are able to turn succulent grass into a tasty, nutritious protein, on landscapes that are often unsuitable for other types of food production.

We are at a crucial time for Welsh farming, as the UK Government seeks to agree free trade deals with countries around the world. Sheep farming, in particular, faces challenges from recent and impending deals with Australia, New Zealand and other countries, which could see sizeable increases in lamb imports coming into the UK tariff-free. This would under-cut many sheep farmers who are working with ever-increasing costs of production and face changes to government support schemes.

As we join in with Love Lamb Week, it is a good time to remind our governments of the importance of the sector to Wales and the need for policy and trade agreements that will ensure a productive and profitable future for our sector.

Most importantly, we hope that this week will provide the opportunity for more people to have a go at trying out a delicious home-cooked PGI Welsh Lamb dish.

You can feed the whole family with some of the many recipes available for free so please visit the Love Lamb Week website for more information about how you can get involved.