Tesco invites sheep farmers to take part in trial ‘cost of production’ model
Tesco is inviting British sheep farmers who supply its lamb to take part in a trial of an industry first, ‘cost of production’ model for the meat.
If the trial is successful, Tesco said it will become the first major UK supermarket to implement such a model which it believes will help address some of the volatility in the UK lamb market.
Data will be collected over a 12 month period to help the supermarket assess the cost of production across a variety of production systems. Independent sheep consultants will select farmers who will form the core trial group and will also collate and evaluate the data. Successful applicants will be chosen based on seasonality, production type, geographic location, and farm size.
In addition, provision will be made to ensure that at least 25% of the group will represent farmers under the age of 35 as Tesco looks to encourage and mentor new British farming talent.
Tesco commercial director for fresh food, Matt Simister said: “Tesco has a long history of supporting UK agriculture and we recognise the quality, expertise and commitment of British lamb farmers to provide the best possible produce for customers. We work hard to have an open and transparent dialogue with all of our farmers and producers of British lamb, as well as the wider farming community, so that together we can deliver a truly sustainable farming industry.”
