The National Pig Association (NPA) has said the change of rules allowing the term ‘British’ to be included in the We Eat Balanced marketing campaign is “fantastic news for British agriculture”.
The We Eat Balanced campaign, organised by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), aims to promote consumer awareness and seek “long-term positive attitudes” towards British red meat and dairy.
AHDB had previously been restricted from using “British” as the primary message because of EU State Aid Rules.
However, earlier this year guidance on the new UK rules, as part of the Subsidy Control Act, was published, opening the way for this change.
NPA chair Rob Mutimer said: “It has long been the source of frustration among levy payers that campaigns they fund haven’t been able to push consumers specifically towards ‘British’ products, particularly since we left the EU.
“This changes that and means levy payers will be getting better value for their money. A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes within AHDB to achieve this and they deserve a lot of credit.”
We Eat Balanced
AHDB’s We Eat Balanced campaign will return on September 8 and run until October 22.
Future use of “British” and the Union Flag will also be reflected in the board’s Love Pork campaigns, AHDB said, including Feed the Family for Less.
AHDB’s director of marketing, Liam Byrne, said: “We are incredibly proud that we have raised the bar yet again for 2023, with our industry leading We Eat Balanced campaign.
“By incorporating the ‘British’ message, which we know is important to consumers, our aim is to highlight the exceptional taste and quality of our home-grown meat and dairy, whilst advocating its role in a nutritionally balanced and sustainable diet.
“We believe that through these efforts we can foster a strong and enduring connection between consumers and our British farmers, who are so passionate about providing quality and sustainable food at every step of its journey, from field to fork.”
AHDB beef and lamb board member, James Shouler, said: “It is encouraging to see a campaign equipping consumers with facts about a healthy diet that is also sustainably produced.
“The We Eat Balanced campaign is supporting the British farming industry at a time when there is a plethora of imbalanced information about nutrition and food production.”
