Beef industry highlighted by the BBC’s Countryfile programme
Beef industry highlighted by the BBC’s Countryfile programme
Yorkshire beef farmer Rosey Dunn, one of the original members of Ladies in Beef (LIB), was featured on BBC1’s Countryfile programme at the start of the programme’s look at the impact of food scares, rising prices and cheap imports on the British beef industry. Farmer and butcher Gareth Barlow examined why it is such a struggle for beef farmers to make a profit in the current climate.
Rosey Dunn of Ladies in Beef.
After reminding viewers of the impact of last year’s horse meat scandal which had a significant impact on consumer confidence in the beef industry, Gareth asked Rosey what shoppers should look for if they want reassurance about the beef they are buying. She explained that as well as being an indicator of origin, the Red Tractor logo represents good farming practices when it comes to animal welfare and environmental standards, as does the EBLEX Quality Standard Mark.
In a follow-up episode, next week’s programme will look at how to rekindle the nation’s love affair with beef. In particular it looks at the younger generation’s understanding of beef cuts and where they come from and Rosey features once again. This time she and Gareth prepare and cook a mini-roast for a group of students to taste.
The appearance on the programme came about as a result of Ladies in Beef’s support for EBLEX’s campaign to get mini roasts on the midweek menu.
Ladies in Beef co-founder Jilly Greed said: “We were delighted to team up with EBLEX to promote Red Tractor beef in this very challenging market. The Midweek Mini Roast concept is fantastic; consumers love a roast and there is real nostalgia about the Sunday roast occasion, but we need to find ways to drive beef sales during the week as well.
“Our ‘Go Mini for Autumn’ initiative is designed to encourage people to forget preconceptions about size and give these smaller, easy-to-cook cuts a go. Our members have been supporting EBLEX’s above-the-line advertising and consumer PR activity with regional PR and social media initiatives to help reinforce the message.”
