New Zealand lamb still fills supermarket shelves over summer

Retailers are still stocking plenty of imported lamb despite plentiful British supplies over the summer, according to a survey.

NFU members found close to half of fresh lamb facings were not from the UK when they visited Tesco and Asda stores across the country. Tesco had 42.6% British, while Asda had 52.5%.

The two retailers were targeted as the NFU claims they are yet to explain fully their sourcing policies for British lamb.

UK farmers are still suffering from farmgate prices well below their costs, caused by a weak euro, strong British supplies and extra New Zealand sheepmeat on the shelves.

Producers also heard this week a beef and lamb promotional campaign by levy board AHDB could have been delayed by slow government approval.

NFU chief livestock adviser John Royle said retailers should be supporting British lamb and make clear to farmers when they wanted to source from the UK.

“We understand that this is only a small survey, but it does highlight that not all retailers are supporting British lamb despite it being in plentiful supply,” he said.

AHDB’s last quarterly Beef & Lamb Watch survey showed 73% of lamb facings were British in June. Tesco and Asda both scored 66%, though Lidl, Sainsbury’s and The Co-op performed worse.

Last month Asda claimed to be stepping up its support for British lamb. It promised to source all of its loins, boned-out leg joints, chumps and half legs from the UK by mid-July.

The NFU’s new survey also focused on commingling, where packs contained meat from both the UK and New Zealand.

Processed products like mince often state the lamb comes from more than one country.

“We are particularly concerned at the high levels of commingled product,” Mr Royle said. “Having dual origin packs makes it difficult for customers to make an informed choice.”

In response, Tesco said its lamb was “predominantly British” at this time of year.

A spokeswoman said packs were clearly labelled with both the Red Tractor and union flag, letting customers identify British products simply.

“We recognise the quality of British lamb and are proud to be the biggest buyer or it,” she said.

“New Zealand lamb is also recognised by customers as a great quality product and is consistently good value throughout the year. This helps us to keep lamb affordable for our customers and meet the demand for popular cuts.”

Asda had not answered by the time of publication.