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Welsh Lamb & Beef Promotions Ltd Welsh Lamb & Beef…
Welsh Lamb & Beef Promotions Ltd
Welsh Lamb & Beef Promotions Ltd (WLBP) was established by a group of likeminded Welsh “livestock” farmers who believe that Welsh lamb and beef have a reputation for excellence that needs to be promoted to a wide consumer audience. The company is now one of the UK’s largest farmer co-operatives with over 7,500 farmer members, and is dedicated to the promotion and marketing of branded, farm-assured Welsh lamb and beef in target markets worldwide. WLBP believes that livestock farming is of significant commercial importance to rural Wales, with the preservation of the family farm critical to the maintenance of Welsh culture and the scenic beauty of the Welsh countryside. Wales is a land famous for its mountains, lakes, valleys, history, legends and song. For centuries it has been home to native Welsh sheep breeds. They have thrived on natural grassland available all year round. Welsh lamb is considered to have a good colour and a sweet, succulent flavour. The unique reputation and qualities enjoyed by the product worldwide come from traditional husbandry methods and feeding the animals on abundant grazing. The character of Welsh lamb arises from the influence of the traditional hardy Welsh breeds from the mountains, providing good quality breeding stock that forms the basis of lowland flocks. Welsh lamb provides the consumer with a natural, versatile, tender, succulent meat with the distinct flavour of Wales. Welsh lamb (Cig Oen Cymru) together with the Welsh lamb dragon logo, is a guarantee of consistent high quality. Welsh beef, however, is the hidden treasure of Wales and has now established its own identity (Cig Eidion Cymru). The foundation of this brand is the high quality of Welsh stock. With over 86 per cent of the land down to grass, Welsh beef farmers are renowned for their ability to convert quality grassland into top quality beef. The alluvial soils of the Welsh valleys are rich in minerals that are perfect for producing the finest quality beef. Cattle thrive in this unspoilt environment, producing beef that is succulent and of the highest standard. Its unique character arises from the influence of traditional beef breeds that dominate Welsh herds and from the topography of the country, coupled with the expertise of livestock farmers that has been handed down over generations. Welsh producers were hit hard by the ban imposed during the foot-and-mouth crisis, but WLBP are confident that old markets are being reclaimed and new ones created. ‘The export market has always been very important,’ says Linda Jones, spokeswoman for WLBP. ‘Before foot-and-mouth we were exporting £100 million of Welsh branded lamb, mainly to Spain and Southern Europe, and added to this was £10 million worth of beef, mainly to the Netherlands.’ Despite the heavy blow of the export ban, consumers and buyers on the continent have retained their enthusiasm for Welsh meat, if events since the ban was lifted towards the end of 2001 are anything to go by. ‘We’ve been out of the market for a year, but within a week after the ban had been lifted they wanted Welsh lamb,’ says Linda Jones. ‘In December 2001 we met the Eroski group of Spanish buyers and they want Welsh beef as well as lamb.’ The recovery of Welsh beef into export markets will take longer than Welsh lamb as a result of the ‘Date Based Export Scheme’. An application has been lodged with the EU to give Welsh lamb and beef the status of ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ – similar to that given to champagne. Meanwhile, representatives of the group have been meeting with buyers across Europe to promote Welsh meat. Don Thomas, managing director of WLBP, said, ‘The effort placed on the recovery of our valuable export markets must not be underestimated. It is vital for the long term commercial security of rural Wales that we re-establish the export of Welsh meat in key European countries as soon as possible. The reputation of Welsh meat in these target European markets needs to be reaffirmed.’ He went on to say, ‘A branded product will prevail in the export market, not a commodity. It is now important that the industry works together to exploit these opportunities with vigour. We can now positively implement our commercial strategies with existing and new customers to recover these vital export markets.’ In a UK context, Safeway’s latest promotion for Welsh lamb backs up suggestions that supermarkets are taking home-produced meat more seriously following the foot-and-mouth crisis. A ten-week campaign, launched on 6 June 2002, specifically promotes Welsh lamb in-store. Dennis Hobbs, Sales Director of Safeway’s dedicated lamb supplier, H M Bennett, says, ‘We hope this major initiative will give Safeway customers the opportunity to support farmers by buying more lamb and the rural economy by visiting the countryside.’ Four years after Safeway’s launch of Welsh mountain lamb, the first of the regional meat marketing campaigns by the multiples, it is clear that consumer demand has been more enthusiastic than anticipated. The campaign was more than just an in-store promotion. It required the creation of a new supply chain as the Welsh industry’s infrastructure for procurement, killing and distribution of hill lambs to major retailers was inadequate and unstable. But according to Safeway category manager, Kelly Hathway, ‘Our lamb initiatives have gone from strength to strength since we launched Welsh mountain lamb.’
Questions
Acting as an external marketing consultant to WLBP, prepare a report for management that:
1 Provides strategic guidelines for promoting WLBP products both in the UK and internationally following the foot-and-mouth crisis. Justify reasons for including the various elements of the communications mix that you have suggested.
2 Suggest how other multiples like Safeway, which is now actively promoting WLBP products, can now be persuaded to promote WLBP products.
