British Heritage Sheep meat traceability project
This is a 12-month feasibility study exploring how blockchain technology and chemical analysis (mass spectrometry) can improve UK meat traceability.
Main objectives:
- Explore the use of mass spectrometry to identify meat characteristics such as breed, origin and age, to confirm the accuracy of blockchain records.
- Use blockchain (a distributed ledger system) to create a reliable, transparent, and tamper-proof record of meat supply chains from farm to consumer.
Benefits:
- Support fair pricing and protection of UK native sheep breeds.
- Strengthen confidence in meat labelling and authenticity.
- Provide a cost-effective tool for labs to detect fraud.
This first phase aims to prove the concept in a short supply chain, paving the way for a wider, easy-to-use traceability system ensuring meat is genuinely as described.
Requirements:
Three UK native breeds of sheep have been selected for geographical representative:
- Herdwick, Cumbria.
- Scottish Blackface, Scotland.
- Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales
Farmers will supply six samples of meat (neck and trimmings) from individually identified animals from different ages to determine what level of information can be reliably gleaned through mass spectrometry.
Three ages are required (avoiding close overlap if possible)
- Lamb - up to 1 year of age.
- Hogget - 1-2 years.
- Mutton - 2 years+.
Samples are to be sent frozen from farm or abattoir to Bia Analytical, Northern Ireland, therefore farmer/retailers who have a butchery either on-farm or make use of a commercial butchery would be most suitable, but not essential.
Farmer renumeration is £200 per age category up to a maximum of £600 per breed.
Samples need to be sent to Bia Analytical by the end of 2025.
Find out more about British Heritage Sheep here.
