Interest from farmers, processors and retailers in the newly published PGIs for West Country beef and lamb has been incredibly positive, with many seeing it as a huge boost for the region.
A Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for beef and lamb from the West Country was formally announced last month and 'went live' last week after years of hard work behind the scenes by Meat South West (MSW) and other organisations in the region.
It means beef and lamb from the region, that meet specific criteria such as being at least 70 per cent forage fed, will be eligible to carry the PGI logo and badged as West Country and promoted on the basis of their rearing environment, boosting sales.
And since the formal announcement was made by Defra, Meat South West said there had been a fantastic response in the supply chain from those keen to make use of the differentiation of products that it brings onto retail shelves.
“We have been delighted with interest since the PGIs were formally registered on February 4th” said Peter Baber, chairman of Meat South West.
“There is real interest in the region and people really see it as a huge boost to the beef and lamb we produce. This is really gratifying after all the hard work that has been put in over a number of years".“We are currently pulling together some resources which can help those organisations who want to make use of the PGI which we hope to get online via the EBLEX website in the next few weeks. This will include answers to frequently asked questions, audit forms and the detail of the PGIs themselves. In the meantime, you can find some information on the Defra website.”
Qualifying criteria will include beef and lamb coming from stock born, raised and finished in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset or Wiltshire.More information on the work behind the PGI will be in the March issue of Meat Management magazine.
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