BARBADIAN BEEF AND LAMB PRODUCERS are facing competition from the United Kingdom.
AHDB Beef & Lamb, which is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board in the UK, is targeting the Barbados market with its products.
In a statement issued last week, the organisation said “exports of premium beef and lamb cuts to the West Indies present a significant opportunity for the industry”.
It also reported that it had “been working with premium retailers and restaurants in Barbados to promote pre-packed Quality Standard Mark beef and lamb for the first time in the region”.
In this regard, the organisation said “a series of supermarket tastings, distribution of recipe leaflets, a presentation at a food fair and radio advertising have been organised to highlight premium products in what is seen as an increasingly lucrative market”.
Commenting on the plan to sell more British beef and lamb to Barbados, Susana Morris, AHDB Beef & Lamb’s export manager for the Americas, said: “The activity in Barbados involves all premium retailers on the island and represents significant progress for our sector in the region.
“Our product retails at a premium against competing products, mainly from the USA for beef and New Zealand for lamb. While Barbados is a small market, it is relatively wealthy and, given its strong links with the UK, presents further export opportunities for us.”
She added: “The range of pre-packed meats has been listed in the main Barbadian supermarkets since last autumn and have performed well. We hope our latest activities in the region will build on this.
“In addition, we are also exploring how we can develop opportunities with the food service sector on the island, particularly with the amount of tourists it attracts, and we have high expectation for this as we move forward in 2016 and beyond.”
AHDB Beef & Lamb is part of a larger organisation that “supports the meat and livestock industries (beef, sheep and pigs) in England; the horticulture, dairy and potatoes industries in Great Britain; and the cereals and oilseeds industry in the UK”. (SC)
