Campaign stokes Scots' love for local lamb

New independent research from TNS covering the period of the recent Scotch Lamb campaign shows that more people were choosing lamb from Scotland over other options.

The new figures show that retail volume sales of Scottish origin lamb over the 12 weeks to 2 November increased by 8.7% year on year to 374 tonnes, compared to overall volume lamb sales in Scotland over the same period which dropped by 4.5%.

QMS Head of Marketing, Laurent Vernet: “In a market that was declining overall, the volume of lamb from Scotland sold in Scotland actually increased, giving the positive sign that people are really looking local when it comes to their red meat.”

Scottish origin lamb is also bucking the trend for market penetration, penetration of lamb from all origins has dropped 7% in the 12 weeks ending 5 October 08, whereas Scottish origin lamb sales in Scotland have held up, and actually increased by 0.5%. Throughout Great Britain, penetration for lamb from Scotland has increased by a quarter.

The total retail market of Scottish origin lamb in Great Britain was worth £4.2 million over the 12 weeks to 5 October 08, this is 24% up on last year. In Scotland the value of sales were up 11.2% compared with a drop of 7.2% of all origin lamb.

Laurent said: “These latest figures show that despite the economic gloom and some fairly sharp price rises, people are still interested in what they eat, and for fresh ingredients such as lamb quality and provenance are key.

“Our campaigns this year underlined to people that by specifically looking for Scotch Lamb, consumers were not only ensuring they would get top quality meat for their meals, they were also something they could do to help support the whole Scottish farming industry and help ensure Scottish food security.

“The new figures show that this message is hitting home as consumers vote with their shopping baskets and choose lamb from Scotland.”

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead added: “This is excellent news for the Scottish lamb sector, which is being rightly rewarded for the tasty, high quality meat that they produce. A rise in the sale of Scotch Lamb, even in the current economic climate is a clear sign that many people are choosing to 'eat Scottish'.

“There is a growing interest in where our food comes from, how it was grown and its impact on the environment. Early next year we will launch Scotland's first-ever national food and drink policy to boost the industry and enhance our reputation as a land of food and drink.”

Further information from: Louise Welsh, Director of Communications, Quality Meat Scotland. Tel: 0131 472 4112. Mob: 07739 900653.