Supermarkets Tesco and Asda faced new criticism last night from Scotland’s farming union over what it said was their continued poor support for Scotch Lamb.
NFU Scotland said both were still stocking high levels of imported Australian or New Zealand lamb, despite Scotch being at its seasonal best and in peak supply. Mystery shoppers from the union were in stores checking lamb supplies earlier this week. They found Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and independent butchers all stocking 100% Scotch. The findings come a week after Tesco was forced to apologise after a customer service representative told a consumer that UK lamb was not in season in response to her complaint about the high level of imported lamb it was selling.
NFU livestock policy manager John Sleigh said the discovery on the shelves of Tesco was at odds with the promises made by its chief executive, Philip Clarke, earlier in the year.
He said it would work with UK agriculture to deliver even more of its produce on to its shelves in the wake of the horse-meat scandal.
Tesco said it was committed to offering its customers the best local and regional produce Scotland had to offer. All its in-store meat counters sold 100% Scotch year-round and its Finest range made use of Scotch from July to December. It added: “We also use 100% Scottish lamb year-round for our core Tesco-branded lamb and organic range, with the exception of some promotional activities and added value lines, and we’re looking at ways we can extend this range further.”
Asda was asked to comment, but did not do so.