Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has been turning to new technology during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to promote dialogue between Welsh sheep farmers and processing companies.
A series of virtual workshops held over Microsoft Teams and Zoom have brought representatives of Wales’s largest processors together with producers, to discuss key factors such as trends in consumer demand, extending lamb shelf-life, carcase classification and reducing supply-chain waste to improve sustainability.
More than a dozen sessions, beginning in December and held throughout the early part of 2021, enabled people to exchange information across the industry at a time when Covid-19 restrictions made the usual channels of communication difficult.
“During the Covid period it’s vital that we keep that dialogue going, especially as we’ve seen ongoing shifts in consumer trends. We were really pleased with how many farmers took part."
HCC’s industry development executive, James Ruggeri, provided presentations as part of the meetings, updating lamb industry partners on latest supply and demand patterns and on evolving consumer trends during the pandemic.
Ruggeri said: “HCC regularly organises training workshops at abattoirs to help foster a greater understanding between farmers and processors and ensure that what we’re producing in Wales meets the consumer’s wants.
“During the Covid period it’s vital that we keep that dialogue going, especially as we’ve seen ongoing shifts in consumer trends. We were really pleased with how many farmers took part.
“The workshops provided a platform for scores of farmers to be part of really interesting discussions and will help the industry’s ongoing work on key issues such as reducing waste and increasing the shelf-life of lamb.”
HCC will be organising further sessions over video conferencing later in the Spring after lambing time.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
