EBLEX booklet has key beef and sheep facts
EBLEX booklet has key beef and sheep facts
A pocket book of key facts of about the strength and vitality of the beef and sheep industry has been produced to highlight the huge benefits the sector brings to the country.
Proud of Beef and Lamb includes ten key facts, from export levels to water use and the number of people employed in beef and sheep meat production, to act as a handy reminder for producers and stakeholders about some of the achievements that make the sector great.
The booklet will also prove thought-provoking for the wider public who often know little more about the industry than what they may read in mainstream media which isn’t always representative of beef and sheep production in this country.
“Farmers kept asking us for some sort of crib sheet they could refer to when speaking to the public to highlight the good things about the industry and what we are achieving. Often, members of the public only know the last exaggerated headline they read in the popular press and this can quite often be inaccurate or a sweeping generalisation based on a global picture that does not reflect how we do things in England,” said Nick Allen, EBLEX sector director.
“We can all list many things that are good about beef and sheep farming, but just having that resource there to refer to and hand out was something that was missing.”
The facts include:
89,000 people are employed on English beef and sheep farms
We export a third of the lamb we produce
Around 65% of out farmland is only suitable for growing grass which can be grazed by ruminants
Just 67 litres of piped water is needed to produce a kilogram of beef.
“Taking this last point as an example, with depressing regularity you will read reports in the newspaper and online that it takes 20,000, 50,000 or even more litres of water for every kilogram of beef produced,” added Nick.
“Our own research shows we actually use less piped water than it takes to fill a bath tub for each kilogram of beef produced, and we are left fighting to set the record straight.
“The fact is that England is one of the most efficient places in the world to produce beef and sheep meat because of our countryside and climate – and our producers are working hard to improve further and reduce our environmental footprint. We want to get this, and many other messages, out there more prominently to educate people, and Proud of Beef and Lamb is another tool to help us do that.”
Hard copies of the booklet are available on request by calling 0870 242 1394 or emailing diane.northrop@eblex.ahdb.org.uk Alternatively, the booklet can be downloaded in pdf form from the publications section of the EBLEX website.
Other key facts about red meat production its environmental performance, as well as those related to health and nutrition, and can be found at http://www.eblex.org.uk/news/issues.aspx
