Chance For Farmers To Join Lamb Promotion Vanguard

Striking banners calling on people to support Scottish sheep farmers by asking for Scotch Lamb by name when they're shopping are being offered free to farmers by QMS, the red meat development and promotion body, as part of drive to help build sales.

The banners are being given out on a first come first served basis and are available to producers who are members of the industry's cattle and sheep farm assurance scheme.

QMS Head of Marketing Laurent Vernet said: “There's a strong swell of public support behind our sheep industry and we want to capitalise on that by providing farmers with these eye catching banners that they can put up on a prominent location on their farms.

“We've used this method of promotion before and it's worked extremely well. I hope that by the time the annual Festival of Scotch Lamb kicks off next month our efforts will be boosted by a Scotland wide display of banners encouraging shoppers to specifically ask for Scotch Lamb.”

The banners are 3m x 1m in size and are made of a durable material complete with reinforced eyelets to make for easy fixing.

Anyone who is interested in sourcing one of the banners should contact the marketing team at QMS on 0131 472 4040.

The Festival of Scotch Lamb beginning in September sees a major promotion by QMS aimed at encouraging more Scots to buy it and try it. Scottish consumers traditionally eat less lamb than those in England and Wales but recent figures* suggest that lamb is beginning to make a comeback with a 22% rise in consumption.

Sales of Scotch Lamb increased by 26% during the first three months of the Festival last year.

*Scottish Red Meat Profile
Household consumption of lamb 2005 – 2006 in Scotland rose 22% to 1.14kgs per annum.