EBLEX supports fully assured beef and lamb products from farm to retailer through quality standard schemes.
Our own Quality Standard schemes for beef and lamb, launched in 2005, give retailers high levels of assurance about the meat they buy. Not only is Quality Standard beef and lamb produced to higher standards than required by law, the EBLEX scheme includes standards that positively influence the eating quality of beef and lamb.
The additional requirements of the Quality Standard are designed to minimise the impact of animal age on eating quality – providing retailers and, ultimately, the consumer with improved and more consistent product.
The key factors of tenderness and succulence are vital to ensure customer satisfaction. The whole supply chain (farm, abattoir, wholesaler, butcher, retailer) need to be signed up to the scheme in order to utilise the Quality Standard Mark.
The Quality Standard scheme forms an important part of the wider strategy of EBLEX. It sets out to differentiate quality beef and lamb from commodity product, helping to build a long term, positive business environment for producers and the industry.
Find out more about the
Quality Standard scheme.
EBLEX also supports the Red Tractor scheme, which covers quality beef and lamb production as well as a range of other agricultural produce. The Red Tractor assurance standards encompass food safety, animal welfare, environmental protection and traceability.
The basic welfare needs of sheep and cattle must not be compromised at any stage of their lives, and farmers must ensure that their farming practices do not damage the environment. Animals need to be identifiable and traceable back to their farm of origin, and moved in clean vehicles so that the beef and lamb produced is free from contamination and safe to eat.
Find out more about the
Red Tractor scheme.
