Campaign encourages shoppers to buy beef locally
Zoe Collins/St Buryan Farm ShopBeef farmers are encouraging shoppers to buy meat from butchers and farm shops, as part of a national initiative celebrating British beef.
The Great British Beef Week (GBBW), now in its 16th year, is an annual campaign created by Devon beef producer Jilly Greed and former National Farmers' Union president Baroness Minette Batters.
It aims to showcase the "vital role" local supply chains, including farm shops and butchers, play in delivering British beef to the consumer.
New data collected by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which supports the campaign, shows 3.1m people bought meat from a butcher last year, spending an average of £135.50 each.
Morwenna Bone, who runs the St Buryan Farm Shop, near Penzance, told BBC Radio Cornwall her prices were comparable to supermarkets.
Bone said: "I'm not sure buying locally means buying more expensively.
"We are comparable to supermarket prices but I think we have a much better product and we're really high welfare."
According to AHDB data, 59% of shoppers said they had chosen butchers to support local businesses and 36% said they actively sought out British produce last year.
The data also said that nearly 71% of consumers felt positive about British agriculture, and suggested renewed trust in UK farmers, food standards and supply chains.
Bone said: "Customers often ask us about where the beef comes from, how far away is it produced, and we can literally point to the field where the cattle are reared or tell them within a couple of miles."
The nationwide campaign, created by Ladies in Beef, shines a light on the local supply chain behind British beef, from farmers and processors through to butchers and farm shops, along with the role they play in keeping high-quality, locally sourced food on UK tables.
Jilly Greed, co-founder of the Ladies in Beef group, said: "It's all about championing our trusted local supply chains, the family farms, farm shops and butchers that work together to deliver top-quality British beef to communities.
"When people buy local, they're supporting British farmers who care deeply about quality and the environment."