Farmers 'angry' over level of imported lamb this Easter

NFU Scotland members have been inspecting the amount of imported lamb on shelves
NFU Scotland members have been inspecting the amount of imported lamb on shelves

Farmers are 'justifiably angry' at the level of imported lamb products on British supermarket shelves this Easter.

NFU Scotland members have been inspecting the amount of imported lamb on shelves.

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Sainsbury's, Waitrose and the Co-op were found to have the largest percentage volumes of imported lamb.

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The Co-op has previously pledged to NFU Scotland that, from May 2017, it will exclusively source home-produced lamb for its stores.

'Expressed concerns'

Looking at the results, Livestock committee chairman Charlie Adam said he has contacted the retailers expressing his concerns.

"Members found that the Co-op carried very little home-produced lamb but it is important to note that it has committed to exclusively sourcing home-produced lamb for its supply chain in from May onwards.

"Overall, our shelf watchers found 69 percent of the lamb on shelves was produced in the UK and we want to see this proportion rise in future years.

"We continue to urge our members to keep an eye on shop shelves and let us know both good news and bad news on Scottish lamb being offered."

Farmers also expressed concerns that Morrisons, a long-standing supporter of British farmers, had a worrying level of imported products available.

Farmers have said they have contacted the retailer about this.

NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe said it was a 'shame' that the retailer was acting contrary to its commitments.

"There is obviously a demand for British lamb so I would urge Morrisons to be clear to consumers about what its commitments are."