2019-01-30 |
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British Beef Farmers Need Your Support
Great British Beef Week will return early, this year from April 1-7, to champion high quality, home-produced beef as part of a balanced, healthy diet.
Organisers say 'it's more important than ever' that the British public shows support for its own beef industry.
Now in its ninth year, British Beef Week is spearheaded by Ladies in Beef, a group of more than 150 female beef farmers who care passionately about what they do. The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) is the campaign's charity partner.
At a significant time for the world trade of British beef, Ladies in Beef is calling for farmers, producers and beef lovers to join the celebration and help increase the global love for quality British beef.
Ladies in Beef co-founder Jilly Greed, who farms 200
suckler beef cows and young stock on Devonshire water meadows, said:
"There are so many uncertainties in farming right now; British beef
farmers need your support more than ever. British beef is an important part of
the global diet because of its quality and its nutritional and environmental
health benefits.
"It's important to the UK economy too, with the beef and veal industries worth around £3 billion. Around 475k people are employed in farming in the UK."
During this year's campaign week, Red Tractor-assured thin cut beef steaks will be promoted using new internationally-themed recipes to encourage shoppers to try a beef-based dish. Events during the week will also raise money for farming charity R.A.B.I, who gave out more than £2.2m to farming people in financial need in 2018.
Jilly added:
"We’d like shoppers to know that British-farmed beef is good for the
environment, with almost half (47%) of the UK’s many breeds of cattle managed on our mountains, moorlands, marshlands
and wetland meadows.
"This grassland increases the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere and has been grazed for thousands of years. Livestock farming is an established part of our history.
“Beef is also a nutritionally valuable part of a balanced diet, being naturally rich in protein. It contains haem iron which is easily absorbed and provides eight vitamins and minerals which contribute towards good health and wellbeing.
"Let’s make sure that beef is known as an important and healthy part of the global diet.”
