Welsh lamb on its way to Japan, says HCC
At the trade body’s industry breakfast, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has announced a new export deal to send Welsh lamb to Japan.
“I can tell you today that Welsh lamb is on its way to Japan,” said HCC chair Catherine Smith. “It will be arriving this week and we now have firm plans to build on that with a significant launch into foodservice businesses in Japan early in the new year.”
She went on to tell guests at the HCC industry breakfast of a further major export deal in HCC’s European customer base. “Our work in the export market has also borne fruit in one of our key European territories, where a new agreement was progressed that could see Welsh lamb stocked in up to a further 1,000 stores in a major German retail chain.”
She said supplying Japan had taken years of negotiation, advocacy and persistence and was a testimony to the “sterling work” that HCC, in its 20th birthday year, has been doing to “hold up and extend the value of our premium brands”.
“Our evidence-based consumer branding work has informed and underpinned the current ‘Experts In Our Field‘ marketing campaign. I’m delighted to report that this campaign is succeeding and that this work would not be possible on the scale that it has been carried out without the brilliance of our farmers and their unrivalled sustainability credentials product – and, of course, the valuable and continued support of Welsh Government,” said Smith.
Welsh livestock industry
She stated that the Welsh livestock sector was a billion-pound industry: “Farm total income is more than £600 million; we employ just under 50,000 people and of course, many more in the supply chain. Exports are worth £258 million – and you’ve just heard we’re on our way to more in 2024 – and our 8.7 million sheep and 1.1 million cattle produce around 90,000 tonnes of red meat each year.”
Referring to the Welsh livestock industry as a whole, Smith said: “In Wales, we cannot afford to lose any farms. We cannot afford to lose our young, inspirational farmers. We cannot put at risk our critical mass of livestock in Wales, our world leading processing sector and the powerhouse of our rural economy here in Wales.
“Together we are leading the world in sustainable premium red meat production. It mustn’t stop there. Together we can drive forward this great industry and ensure our children have fantastic farming futures in 20-years’ time.”
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