Sainsbury's switches to 100% British lamb next month

The retailer said it will provide customers with 'quality tender lamb' throughout the 2017 season
The retailer said it will provide customers with 'quality tender lamb' throughout the 2017 season

From next month, all of Sainsbury's lamb products will be 100% sourced from British farms, after making the announcement last May.

The retailer said it will provide customers with 'quality tender lamb' throughout the 2017 season as well as bolstering their support for the British lamb industry.

The supermarket have been working closely with their own Lamb Development Group, a network of nearly one thousand British farmers.

"It's reassuring to British lamb farmers to have the commitment and support of such a big player in the industry," Hugh Darbishire, farmer and member of the group.

An early spring with plentiful sunshine has been a welcome start to the 2017 British lambing season.

The warmer and drier conditions have meant strong grass growth, which in turn brings forward the supply and availability of new season lamb.

'Supporting British farmers'

Beth Hart, head of agriculture for Sainsbury's, said the switch to sourcing 100% of their lamb products from British farms means they are 'supporting our British farmers.'

However, around Easter time, farmers were angry at the level of imported lamb products on British supermarket shelves.

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

This led to the leader of Britain's sheep farmers calling on retailers to back the British economy by supporting home-grown lamb.

Co-op Food first announced last September that it will source only fresh British lamb, having come into effect from 2 May this year.