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US buyers were impressed after an AHDB-led visit to UK farms

British lamb’s grass-fed image and sustainability credentials could be a major selling point for consumers in the US.

That was the message from Denis Linnane, president of meat importation firm Linnane and Company, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr Linnane spoke to ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Guardian at last week’s NSA Sheep 2022 event in Malvern, Worcestershire, where he and four other meat buyers from the States were part of an AHDB-led trip to the UK.

Over their week they visited farms, abattoirs and processing plants and Mr Linnane was impressed with what he saw.

He said: "The farms and businesses we have seen have been very well run. They are the best I have ever seen in terms of traceability and the focus on food safety."

Mr Linnane’s company imports lamb and beef from Australia and New Zealand for sale across the US and he believed there was good potential to buy product from the UK.

Grass

With the UK’s grass-fed systems, Mr Linnane said it tied in well to marketing messages around sustainable production, something which was as important in America as it was in Europe.

He added: "The climate is a huge focus and everyone is looking at grass-fed meat and sustainable credentials. People [consumers] appreciate that."

With about 330 million people in the USA it was potentially a large market for UK lamb, although Mr Linnane did acknowledge that only about 1 per cent of Americans currently ate lamb, with beef favoured much more.

Fernando Munoz, of G&C Foods in New York, which delivers to 27 states in the eastern half of the US, said he believed there were ‘a lot of opportunities in the US’ for British lamb.

“There is a story behind everything and a lot of love and passion for the job which you do not typically see in other countries," he said.

He added the taste was ‘fantastic’ and there would be opportunities in both foodservice and retail.

Animal welfare in the UK scored highly with the American delegation, with John Gurner, of JBS USA, adding the production and care of animals was the biggest positive of the visit, as well as highlighting the use of genetics.