British Army faces sheep manoeuvre

A Welsh farming leader is calling for British soldiers to be fed Welsh lamb instead of cheaper New Zealand meat.

John Davies, chairman of Wales YFC, has made a direct appeal to the British Ministry of Defence to reappraise their catering contracts and to pay more attention to the way members of Britain's armed forces are fed.

Mr Davies, who farms at Merthyr Cynog, Brecon, said the price of Welsh lamb was right and the quality was unrivalled.

"This year Welsh lamb has been more than competitive with New Zealand lamb, but still only 12 per cent of the lamb consumed by our soldiers is British," he said.

In 2000, Welsh farmers ended a long-running row in which they refused to let the Army use their land for training exercises unless the Ministry of Defence bought Welsh meat.

The controversy subsided when the ministry signed a contract to buy up to 200 tonnes of Welsh lamb to feed British forces equivalent to 20 per cent of its lamb purchases. Previously, it bought lamb only from overseas.

Mr Davies said he questioned the validity of costings that allowed the British Army to "shun" home-produced lamb.

"I am calling for a full supply- chain examination," he told the Western Mail newspaper.

"We're happy to put our figures on the table.

"Everything is absolutely transparent.

"This year some supermarkets have had to pay more for New Zealand lamb than for Welsh.

"It cannot be right that our soldiers are still being denied the very best food that money can buy."

He warned that changes in the way farming was supported meant that farmers were likely to scale down production unless their returns were adequate, with implications for the Welsh countryside.

"It's our sheep that maintain the Epynt [army firing] Range and other crucial training grounds," he said.

Colonel William Watson of Brecon Barracks said Army caterers were hoping to increase the proportion of British lamb procured from 12 per cent back to 20 per cent this year.

The problem was that Government contracts had to go out to international tender and Welsh lamb cost 85 per cent more than New Zealand's, even after shipping and packing.

The meat also had to be blast frozen.

Colonel Watson said: "There is enormous sympathy on this issue.

"Where we spend private money, there is pressure from the commander, Brigadier Iain Cholerton, to buy locally.

"And married soldiers and MOD civil servants spend an estimated 400,000 [$1,042,209] on Welsh meat in a year."

Colonel Watson said that the ministry procured 100 per cent British pork, 30 per cent gammon and bacon and 44-46 per cent of all beef was British.

- NZPA