Aussie beef found masquerading with Welsh PGI label

The owner of a North Wales meat company says a country of origin labelling error was a “genuine mistake” caused by a new staff member.

Llechwedd Meats had come under fire over the weekend after photos emerged on social media showing a pack of steak displaying both Australian and Welsh Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.

Picture been taken from Facebook, how is this right? How can they stamp it with the @PGIWelshBeef stamp when it's from Australia? Surely this is against the law? Its from a mean company on Anglesey called Llechwedd meats! @HybuCigCymru @angleseycouncil@NFUCymru@NFUtweets pic.twitter.com/pXbxto8BLO

— Tudur Evans (@EvansTudur) October 17, 2021

Farmers had questioned why the pack of “Steakhouse Range Beef Texan Steak” was retailing with a label saying it had been born, reared and slaughtered in Australia.

See also: Campaign for better food labelling to protect UK farmers

Meanwhile, the pack was also stamped with a Welsh PGI label.

The meat had been sold at Llechwedd Meats’ shop in Llangefni, Anglesey, and the labelling error had been spotted and circulated on Facebook and Twitter.

Red meat levy board Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales) thanked social media users for bringing the labelling anomaly to its attention, and it said it would be investigated immediately.

‘Genuine mistake’

Norman Roberts, managing director of Llechwedd Meats, told Farmers Weekly: “The Welsh label went on the pack and it was just a genuine mistake by a new employee who has been working for us for two weeks. Nobody picked it up.

“If we had put on the label that the meat was produced in Wales, that would have been totally wrong. We said where the meat had come from [Australia].

“I’m a farmer myself and all my friends are farmers. We weren’t trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes.”

Mr Roberts said his business, like many in the food supply chain, had struggled to attract and retain staff over the last few months due to a combination of Brexit, the impact of the coronavirus, and people retiring from the industry.

The worker in this case would be given additional training to ensure the error was not repeated.

Llechwedd Meats is an award-winning family-run business which supplies meat products to the catering trade, local authorities, large chains and care homes across North Wales.

Range of meats sold

Mr Roberts said the vast majority of the meat sold in the shop was Welsh or British. However, the company does sell some New Zealand lamb. The Steakhouse Range Beef Texan Steak is its only Australian meat range.

When asked why the business could not stock 100% British meat, Mr Roberts said customers demanded “a range of different meats” and there was also “a difference in price”.

But he added: “We are a big supporter of Welsh farming. Over the last two weeks, we have bought in over 200 Welsh lambs.

“We are more or less Welsh on the beef and English on the pork. We do sell NZ lamb and some Aussie beef. But you have got to give the choice. We are in the catering job. It’s a different game.”