Gove calls for fewer chicken sandwiches in supermarkets

SUPERMARKETS and High Street chains should sell lamb sandwiches instead of endless variations of chicken, Michael Gove has said.

The Environment Secretary singled out Marks & Spencer as one of the offenders, and said retailers should do more to support British sheep farmers.

“If you go into the sandwich shops in our big cities, on which so many of us rely for our lunchtime food, why is it that every second sandwich is chicken or tuna but never lamb?” he asked.

Speaking at the Hay Festival, Mr Gove told an audience that included many farmers: “Why is it that if you go into Marks and Spencer [or] wellknown supermarkets, so many of the things they offer – not just the meat on the shelves but the sandwiches, the pies, the sausages and so on – why is it that we have an under-representation of lamb in the things that we are offered?”

Mr Gove added: “There are certain prejudices that have grown up over time. People think that lamb is fatty and all the rest of it. In fact, it is one of the healthiest and most sustainable meats.”

He also suggested that lamb should be included on more hospital and school menus, in order to ensure that sheep farmers have a “viable future”.

Mr Gove was asked what would replace cheap, seasonal labour from the EU after Brexit. He said much of that work “will in future be done by machines”, although conceded that would be an extra cost for farmers.