Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) will lead UK levy bodies in the launch of the 2025 Love Lamb Week campaign, which will be held from 1st-7th September.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and the Livestock and Meat Commission in Northern Ireland (LMC) will assist QMS over the course of the campaign, alongside other key stakeholders.
The campaign, which was first launched decade ago, will see a raft of industry activity to celebrate lamb, its versatility and nutrition, and the farmers and landscapes involved in its production.
Emma Heath, director of marketing for QMS, said: “We are delighted to be working collaboratively with the other levy boards and the wider stakeholder group, including the National Sheep Association (NSA) and National Farmers’ Union (NFU). It’s a great opportunity to celebrate lamb and the farmers and climate we have in the UK, which make it the perfect place to rear lamb.”
Rob Duncan, QMS assistant brand manager, added: “As part of Love Lamb Week, QMS will be extending our successful Make it Lamb campaign to encourage people to enjoy lamb during this key time. The campaign features plenty of varied, easy and inspiring recipes for making the most of Scotch Lamb – easily identified by the iconic Scotch Lamb logo.”
NSA communications manager Katie James commented: “This week, we are encouraging sheep farmers from across the UK to be active on social media, using their own voices to connect with consumers. These authentic stories resonate with the public, helping them better understand where their food comes from and inspiring them to choose lamb and mutton more often. Love Lamb Week is about more than just promotion – it’s about building pride, awareness, and lasting support for our sector.”
Liam Byrne, AHDB director of international and domestic marketing, said: “Love Lamb Week is back! We are thrilled to team up with the industry and champion British lamb, recognising the incredible hard work of our farmers. They work tirelessly with nature to produce naturally delicious lamb, playing a crucial role in putting food on our plates. This week is all about highlighting their dedication and the immense value they bring to our nation.”
Levy boards celebrate through individual activity
QMS will have a Scotch Lamb focus on its social media channels (industry and consumer) in the lead up to and during Love Lamb Week, plus a series of video assets shared on the channels. Consumer PR efforts will be based on gaining column inches for Scotch Lamb, with influencer activity on the Make it Scotch channels. It will also be working with key brand partners across social channels to share positive messaging about Scotch Lamb and delicious Scotch Lamb recipes.
AHDB has created social media content to raise awareness of the ‘Make it Lamb’ message, including a paid campaign on Facebook and Instagram, short videos featuring farmers, and eye-catching graphics hosted on the Simply Beef and Lamb and AHDB websites. An advert will also appear in iNews, with free resources, including stickers, farmgate banners and recipe leaflets available to order from the AHDB website. Retail activity will also be supported through stickers on lamb products in supermarkets, while children’s activity sheets and resources for teachers will aim to get children and families involved.
HCC will run a paid media campaign called ‘Experts in their field’, including TV, digital, out of home, social media, YouTube, advertising and storytelling, including working with Sky with Ad Smart work and retailers. Its website will feature new recipes, and it will send a dedicated ‘Make it Lamb’ consumer newsletter, showcasing farmer stories and the new recipes. Its Welsh Lamb ambassador, Jonathan ‘Fox’ Davies will also be involved, while influencer @girlcooksboybakes will release new recipe content.
LMC will launch its Farm in a Box resource for Key Stage One pupils in collaboration with Ulster Wool and will run a consumer sampling event at Belfast City Hall in collaboration with Ulster Farmers Union and meat processors. It will also launch three Northern Ireland sheep farmer testimonials, have social media activity on its corporate and consumer accounts and have a Love Lamb Week landing page on its consumer-facing website, as well as a radio partnership for the week.
“Love Lamb Week is a great opportunity for the farm-to-fork supply chain to celebrate everything that is great about lamb.”
Emma Heath, QMS
NFU livestock board chair David Barton commented: “Love Lamb Week is a great chance to celebrate the vital role sheep play in shaping our iconic landscapes, from the hills in the uplands to the rolling lowlands. Our new Uplands Vision shows how sheep grazing supports biodiversity, reduces wildfire risk, maintains natural character and delivers nutritious food for the country. It also outlines how farmers, Government and environmental groups can work together to protect food production in these areas.’’
Red Tractor is also backing Love Lamb Week, with sheep farmer Jemma Holden, its dairy, beef and lamb technical manager, commenting: “We’re proud to support Love Lamb Week, a celebration of the dedication, care and high standards our British lamb farmers uphold every day. We always encourage consumers to look for lamb with the Red Tractor logo to support British farmers committed to upholding high standards.’’
QMS marketing director Emma Heath added: “Love Lamb Week is a great opportunity for the farm-to-fork supply chain to celebrate everything that is great about lamb. We look forward to everyone being involved in this collaborative effort to highlight the numerous benefits of lamb.”
A Love Lamb Week campaign toolkit will be shared to help spread the campaign’s messages, providing stakeholders with Make it Lamb logos and social media assets to use on their own platforms and share with their networks for use, too. The assets include recipes, information about farmers, landscapes and climate in relation to lamb production, plus additional information for use by butchers.
