Working together on the promotion of the annual event, the UFU will focus on the production of lamb on farm, with the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) putting their efforts into the processing and cooking aspects to provide that wholesome farm to fork story.

Commenting ahead of the campaign which is running from Thursday 1 – Wednesday 7 September, UFU beef and lamb chair Pat McKay said: “Sheep farmers have been enduring soaring production costs since early spring and it has put great financial pressure on their farm business. Therefore, this Love Lamb Week, we are urging consumers and everyone within the farming community to show their support for Northern Ireland’s sustainable sheep production that supports the environment and allows us to make use of land that cannot grow crops, resulting in nutritious lamb products.

“From a carbon sequestration perspective sheep production is a vital part of the climate change solution. Grazing sheep also helps us to maintain our iconic landscape and prevent wildfires. No product is greener or more environmentally friendly than sheep bred on the hills and finished on lowland pastures.”

UFU hill farming chair Alastair Armstrong said: “Our sheep farmers work around the clock to produce lamb to world leading animal welfare and environmental standards that they’re proud to uphold. This results in a high-quality local product with an array of health benefits including protein and omega three fatty acids, and not forgetting the short supply chain promises a delicious, fresh taste.

“Love Lamb Week is a great opportunity to focus on all the positives of lamb production from beginning to end. Through informative, interactive social media posts we’re going to clearly demonstrate why sheep production on farm is a key part of maintaining our NI landscape, and a major contributor to the local community and wider NI economy.”

LMC marketing and communications manager Lauren Patterson said: “LMC is delighted to once again back Love Lamb Week. The annual initiative provides a superb platform to inform consumers of the many health and environmental benefits of Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured (NIFQA) lamb.

“Lamb production is central to the agricultural economy in Northern Ireland. We have the perfect climate to produce a natural and sustainable product. When consumers choose NIFQA lamb they are assured it meets world leading standards for quality. NIFQA lamb also boasts an impressive nutritional profile and as a highly versatile red meat, it can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes throughout the year.

“Throughout Love Lamb Week LMC will continue its year-round promotion of local lamb via traditional and digital platforms. The relaunch of our Good Honest Food campaign, coupled with factual social media posts will drive home messaging about biodiversity, carbon sequestration, NI Farm Quality Assurance standards, nutritional benefits and tips for cooking with lamb.”

Caption:  UFU beef and lamb chair Pat McKay, Hilary and Roger Bell, UFU hill farming chair Alastair Armstrong and LMC chief executive Ian Stevenson. 

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Lamb production

UFU president Victor Chestnutt said, “Lamb production is an integral part of Northern Ireland’s agricultural industry for various reasons. It’s a delicious product produced to some of the highest standards in the world, it ticks all the boxes for quality, has a short supply chain and is of true local provenance representing the very best of NI produce. Love Lamb Week is a great opportunity for us to focus on sheep production and raise awareness of why it is such an important commodity.

The UK-wide campaign ran from 1 – 7 September to raise awareness of the nutritional factors of having lamb in your diet and the versatility of the red meat product. Popular radio chef Paula McIntyre conducted an online cookery class via Belfast Live, to show consumers how quick and easy it is to make tasty lamb dishes at home as part of Love Lamb Week.

From Farm to Fork

LMC chief executive Ian Stevenson said, “We were proud to be support the Love Lamb Week initiative again which is a great opportunity to showcase the environmental and health benefits of consuming local Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured lamb. It is an important opportunity to encourage discussion surrounding lamb and to urge consumers to support local farmers, who are working tirelessly to provide a product that can be guaranteed of the highest qualities, from farm to fork.

“Unlike previous years, we were unable to host lamb sampling events in retail stores and promotional activities had to diversify to comply with Covid-19 regulations.

“In a supply chain wide collaboration, local street food restaurateurs, The Hatch will be promoted NIFQA lamb through a speciality dish with a contemporary twist to encourage consumers to get back in touch with lamb. This was an important opportunity to engage with the public and put lamb back on the menu as a versatile, flavoursome and nutritious meat that can be enjoyed all year round and on any day of the week”.

Ministerial support

DAERA Minister Edwin Poots MLA said, “Such is the quality of Northern Ireland lamb that it is one of the absolute benchmarks for our entire range of high-quality agricultural produce. The calibre of care taken by those who rear our lambs is renowned across the globe – yet another reason why it is in a very strong position to compete against other countries when standards are compared by international experts.

“I am very proud to be in the position to play my part in promoting Northern Irish lamb at every given opportunity, safe in the knowledge that I am spreading the word that we can rightly and truly claim to be a world leader in this sector and Love Lamb Week is another chance to do just that.”

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