A new Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) marketing campaign will use the term “British” to describe its meat and dairy products.

AHDB’s We Eat Balanced campaign will return on September 8 and run until October 22.

AHDB had previously been restricted from using “British” as the primary message because of EU State Aid Rules.

However, earlier this year guidance on the new UK rules, as part of the Subsidy Control Act, was published, opening the way for this change.

The We Eat Balanced campaign aims to promote consumer awareness and seek “long-term positive attitudes” towards British red meat and dairy.

Future use of “British” and the Union Flag will also be reflected in the Love Pork campaigns, AHDB said, including Feed the Family for Less.

This will expand to export activities, where AHDB event stands will prominently feature the Union Flag. 

AHDB’s director of marketing, Liam Byrne, said: “We are incredibly proud that we have raised the bar yet again for 2023, with our industry leading We Eat Balanced campaign.  

“By incorporating the ‘British’ message, which we know is important to consumers, our aim is to highlight the exceptional taste and quality of our home-grown meat and dairy, whilst advocating its role in a nutritionally balanced and sustainable diet.  

“We believe that through these efforts we can foster a strong and enduring connection between consumers and our British farmers, who are so passionate about providing quality and sustainable food at every step of its journey, from field to fork.” 

AHDB beef and lamb board member, James Shouler, said: “It is encouraging to see a campaign equipping consumers with facts about a healthy diet that is also sustainably produced.

“The We Eat Balanced campaign is supporting the British farming industry at a time when there is a plethora of imbalanced information about nutrition and food production.”

The We Eat Balanced campaign will feature on social media, in newspaper, vide on demand and in the stores of eight major supermarkets where on-pack stickers will bring consumers to pages of healthy meat and dairy recipes, AHDB said.