Danes visit to see the Welsh way of rearing lamb

BUTCHERS from Denmark have been visiting Wales to see how Welsh lamb is reared.

It follows the launch in Denmark this summer of the “Lamb Cam”. Two 24-hour cameras have been set up by Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) on Welsh farms, with a live feed on a campaign website and in supermarkets to show Danish consumers the high level of animal welfare and traditional methods of producing quality lamb in Wales.

As a result of the campaign, a group of butchers and buyers came over to Wales to see Welsh lamb in its natural environment.

Dai Charles Evans, who farms at Silian near Lampeter in Ceredigion, played host and the group included five master butchers who were rewarded by their supermarket chain for selling the most Welsh lamb with a farm-to-fork tour.

The farm visit allowed the butchers to see how the farming practices used by Mr Evans and his family have evolved and developed over the years.

Mr Evans explained why he thought the Lamb Cam had proved so popular.

“The Lamb Cam is fantastic as it shows how Welsh lamb is produced and how beautiful Wales is. The produce here is extremely natural – the lamb feed on grass and we produce grass that is of a very high standard and this is what those visiting the farm will see today,” he said.

During the visit, Mr Evans described to the group how farming practices have changed and evolved since his great-grandfather bought the farm 100 years ago. The group also learnt of the timeline of rearing Welsh lamb on the farm and of the benefits of feeding the lamb on grass.

As well as the five butchers, the group included buyers and retail representatives.

HCC overseas representative Ken Sørensen said: “The Lamb Cam has been a great success. In fact, it has created a new standard in Denmark of how to promote a product as it shows consumers exactly what they are getting.

“There is no better way to create ambassadors for our fine produce of Welsh lamb than to bring supermarket representatives and in-store butchers over to Wales to see its authenticity for themselves.”

Retail purchasing manager Benny Jepsen added: “It’s great to come to Wales and visit a farm in person to really understand the quality of Welsh lamb.”