Welsh lamb promotion and marketing company Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) has begun to urge distributors and others within the lamb industry to look at ways of improving its poor shelf life. With only 21 days shelf life once it reaches the UKs supermarkets, Welsh Lamb is slowly but surely ruining its chances of global distribution and limiting its growth at home significantly.
Welsh Lamb Vs New Zealand Lamb
With 100 days shelf life, New Zealand lamb has proven itself to be far superior with regards to longevity and global distribution. The extra 79 days gives New Zealand lamb the advantage in the UK and abroad, making it tough for other lamb suppliers to compete. This is becoming increasingly frustrating for those who want to expand the reach of Welsh Lamb globally and at home, and is starting to have a detrimental effect on the industry.
Talking about the crisis, the HCCs industry development officer Luned Evans has said
‘The Welsh Lamb brand is well recognised and respected across the globe, but in order to take advantage of this great status we need fresh Welsh Lamb to be on shop shelves for longer and be able to export it as cost-effectively as possible’.
A Way Forward?
With such a respect for Welsh Lamb and a soaring demand for home grown produce, the industry is looking for different ways to combat the issue. The KCC has urged the entire lamb industry to come together to tighten up existing processes for storing and distributing lamb, as well as coming up with new ways to tackle the issue.
Better transportation of the animals and clearer communication between distributors and suppliers has been noted as two areas that could be improved over time. With Welsh Lamb’s shelf life being only a fifth of that of New Zealand’s, something clearly needs to be done to improve the situation so that more UK customers can have quality home grown meat on their tables.
The HCC is currently working with a number of organisations, including two universities, to try and develop an effective supply chain wide approach to the issue. By doing this, it is hoped that measures will be taken from start to finish, ensuring that Welsh lamb stays as fresh as possible before it reaches local stores and supermarkets across the UK.
How can CRS Help?
CRS are experts in meat cold storage and have help a wide range of meat companies to store meat safely and produce an excellent product. Find out more about our Meat cold storage here.
