Lloyds TSB Agriculture Major Sponsor of Beef Expo 2008

Lloyds TSB Agriculture has been confirmed as major sponsor of the UK's national beef event, Beef Expo 2008, to be held at Perth Agricultural Centre on Wednesday, May 21.

Organised by the National Beef Association, Beef Expo 2008 is held annually at different venues throughout the country and is returning to Scotland for the first time since 2004.

Lloyds TSB is a major lender to UK farmers and provides a range of specialist financial services to the industry.

"We are delighted to be supporting the British beef industry by agreeing this major sponsorship of Beef Expo 2008," said Lloyds TSB's regional agricultural manager, Geoff Hall.

"Specialist technical events such as Beef Expo have become an important part of the calendar and we look forward to meeting beef farmers from all over the country at the Perth event."

Lloyds TSB became involved in Beef Expo for the first time at Skipton last year when the bank sponsored the beef cattle classes.

"Last year's Beef Expo was very well supported by farmers and we decided then that we would like to have a larger presence this year to further strengthen our support for the industry as we continue to grow our farming business," said Mr Hall.

The bank's regional agricultural manager for Scotland, Paul Healy, has welcomed the return of Beef Expo to Scotland.

"Perth Agricultural Centre is an ideal location, with excellent facilities, and beef is a very important sector for Scottish agriculture," said Mr Healy. "Lloyds TSB Agriculture is pleased to support the event to consolidate the bank's presence in the Scottish market and reinforce its long-standing support for the agricultural industry."