The Welsh government is set to work alongside Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) and the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Welsh lamb supply chain to promote Welsh lamb at the Annual Meat Conference (AMC) in Dallas, Texas this March.
The conference will kick off on Monday, March 6, and run for two days. The Welsh representatives will be present at the event, at which HCC said meetings are planned with importers and distributors.
Welsh lamb will then feature in a tradeshow to be held alongside the AMC event and the HCC said it will use the opportunity to visit leading US retailers to carry out further research on the potential of the market.
Afterwards, the HCC said, a website will be launched to give potential customers all the information they need on how to source Welsh lamb.
US
Following the lifting of restrictions on UK lamb imports to the US last year, the HCC is keen to promote Welsh produce to US retailers.
Speaking on the conference and the opportunity for Welsh produce in America, minister for rural affairs Lesley Griffiths said: “It’s great to see this activity taking place in the US.
“There are exciting opportunities for Welsh Lamb in the US market, following the lifting of restrictions, which is good news for our farmers and producers.
“I’m pleased the Welsh Government is supporting this activity and I wish the event every success.”
‘A multi-million pound opportunity’
HCC’s head of strategic marketing, Laura Pickup, said previous market research has shown that the US market could be “a multi-million pound opportunity” for Welsh farmers and the broader red meat industry.
“Our work in Canada in the past has also helped us to develop links with importers and to build awareness of the Welsh lamb brand in the North American market,” she said.
“We’re therefore determined to put together a bold programme of promotion – both developing the key contacts, and launching an online information resource.”
