The Meat and Livestock Commission has launched a new advertising campaign targeted at boosting sales of British lamb amongst British Muslims.
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The domestic market is witnessing a glut of lamb meat. Sales have suffered as the result of an export ban imposed in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis and producers and retailers have struggled to sell on the produce originally intended for southern Europe. Consumers in this area prefer the “light lamb”, bred to be slaughtered and eaten young, which is not as poplar in Britain.
A spokesman from the MLC told BBC News that British lamb has also always supplied a significant proportion of the European market for halal meat [where the animal is slaughtered according to strict Muslim tradition].
Muslim families currently represent only 5% of the British population, but as they consume approximately 20% of all homegrown lamb and mutton, the producers are hoping that the market will grow to accommodate the glut of meat.
Leaflets printed in English and Urdu have been distributed to halal butchers are part of the campaign.
