Love Lamb Week 2022 successfully shares positive stories of UK sheep farming

Farmers, retailers and social media influencers came together to celebrate the sustainable credentials of sheep farming as part of Love Lamb Week 2022 at the beginning of September.

The annual campaign that is supported by the National Sheep Association (NSA), UK levy boards and farming unions once again attracted high profile attention from celebrity chefs, found publicity in national media and encouraged shoppers to add different lamb cuts to their weekly shopping baskets.

NSA Communications Manager Katie James comments: “Once again, Love Lamb week has provided a great opportunity to showcase all that is so fantastic about our industry. NSA, as a farmer facing organisation, called on its members and the wider sheep sector to be vocal during the week sharing stories of their sheep farming systems, the environmental management that goes hand in hand with that and also the delicious, nutritious red meat that is the result of all of this hard work. And our members responded! The sector should take pride from the way in which it promoted itself during the week’s campaign.”

Having acted as the faces of the campaign since last year, Amy Matravers from Leicestershire and Ernie Richards from the Herefordshire / Powys border kept the campaign’s social platforms busy sharing fantastic stories throughout the week.

Mrs James continues: “Special recognition must go to our ‘Lambassadors’, Amy and Ernie, who worked so hard to keep the Love Lamb social accounts so active and engaging all week. Further industry promotion from the UK levy boards will now continue in to the autumn as several high profile campaigns carry on where Love Lamb Week has left off.”

Love Lamb Ambassador and Leicestershire sheep farmer Amy comments: “Thank you to everyone who engaged with #LoveLambWeek - it was great to see such a variety posts on social media, including recipes, farming daily tasks and also restaurant meals available with British Lamb! I’d love to keep the momentum going all year round promoting our produce - #LoveLamb.”

Ambassador and Welsh Borders sheep farmer Ernie adds: “I am really proud to be part of the ongoing Love Lamb campaign. Being a Love Lamb Ambassador, not only for Love Lamb Week, but all year, has been brilliant to promote and educate about UK sheep farming. This year’s campaign appears to have really inspired the sheep farming community to get involved with this promotion also.”

Love Lamb Week was first established in 2015 by late Cumbrian sheep farmer Rachel Lumley. Since then, its reputation has grown ensuring it is now firmly fixed in the sheep farming calendar at a time of peak supply of British produced lamb. For more information on the campaign visit www.nationalsheep.org.uk/love-lamb.