Why buy British Lamb?

It is well known that farming practices in Britain are some of the best in the world particularly when it comes to environmental and sustainability issues with our farmers playing an important role in this by encouraging wildlife and natural habitats. Sheep farming itself goes further in protecting rare plant and wildlife species due to the extensive use of grazing involved. Partly as a result of these very efficient production systems emissions from UK livestock are now significantly lower, at around 5% of total GHG emissions, than the estimated 9% EU wide emissions figure for livestock, a significant achievement.


Meanwhile the nutritional benefits of eating lamb are rising. As a source of good quality non-intensively reared protein lamb is becoming unrivalled. It is arguably the most ecological and nutritionally superior meat we eat with sheep relying solely on grass, often unsuitable for other purposes, for sustenance. This is because as much as two thirds of British farmland is unsuitable for growing crops but can be well utilized and indeed improved by the grazing of sheep. Nutritionally lamb is also one of the few sources of CLA which promotes muscle building and fat loss and contains a plethora of other vitamins and minerals including zinc, selenium, phosphorus and iron.

Better animal welfare means that the UK is also now one of the lowest users of antibiotics in Europe and is has also been ranked in the top four countries worldwide for animal welfare standards according to the World Animal Protection Index.

Major UK supermarkets are seeing the growing advantages of British lamb and are pledging their support. Waitrose has just committed to pulling out of supplying any New Zealand lamb from next year and Morrisons adopted an 100% British lamb policy only selling lamb reared in the UK in 2017. New initiatives are also emerging to make local lamb available to consumers via the internet.

All of this means that there has never been a better time to source and enjoy British lamb. In doing so you will also be ensuring that demand for British lamb is maintained and that these ancient protectors of the British countryside do not begin to disappear. For despite the many benefits of eating lamb, sales both worldwide and here in the UK are currently thought to be declining with a 7% drop in production now forecast for this year in the UK due to people eating out less and other production issues to do with lockdown restrictions.

by Nicky Lowe, countryside commentator