HCC looks to boost PGI Welsh Lamb exports to Italy
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has outlined plans to prompt further growth of its exports of PGI Welsh Lamb to Italy by drawing on the help of Welsh sheep farmers and international chefs to narrate the brand’s supply chain story from farm to fork.
HCC’s export development executive, Alex James, commented: “Italy is a very important market for our producers. Italian consumers expect a high quality product based on traditional farming practices with the indisputable reassurance of a PGI classification.”
Milanese chef, Misha Sukyas designed and cooked Welsh Lamb inspired dishes for a group of Italian journalists.
One ambassador supporting the campaign, which will be marketed under the headline Naturale, Buono e Genuine, is Myrddin Davies, a fifth generation farmer from Pandy Tudur, in the Conwy Valley, who has been promoting PGI Welsh Lamb with a feature blog on HCC’s Italian language website agnellogallese.eu.
“In Wales, it is very easy to find farming families like mine,” blogged Myrddin. “It’s thanks to this great, centuries-old heritage that Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef obtained the coveted PGI status over ten years ago.
“Welsh Lamb is a truly natural product that is bred in the open air. It feeds on green grass, and grows in a healthy and clean environment. Welsh Lamb is tender, sweet and very tasty. It is what it is; there are no secrets, a genuine taste that expresses all its qualities.”
Meanwhile, HCC also hosted a taste event in Italy for a group of Italian journalists who were able to try a variety of PGI Welsh Lamb dishes, such as carpaccio of Welsh Lamb with Shanghai sauce and fregola in Welsh Lamb cawl, designed and cooked by Milanese chef Misha Sukyas.
“The food writers who tasted Misha Sukyas’ recipes in Milan were given a great taste, fantastic flavour and the full farm-to-fork story of how Welsh Lamb is produced,” James said.
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