If you are a foodie, you may enjoy treating yourself to different varieties and cuts of meats occasionally, and who can blame you? However, you might not be aware of the environmental and ecological costs of sourcing meat that is sourced from outside of the UK. Buy Britain is here to explain where British meat comes from as well as why you should consider buying British meat.
So, why should I buy British meat? Other than the benefits British meat gives to flavour, buying British meat contributes to the reduction of your carbon footprint because it requires less transportation than meat sourced from outside the UK. British beef is also high quality due to the regulations set by the BMPA, in combination with the large-scale, British grass grazing systems that have been set up.
Keep reading to find out more about all things British meat related, including where British meat comes from, and whether British beef is good quality.
Why Should I Buy British Meat?
Buying British meat can have an array of benefits to both the planet and your body that you may not already be aware of, but just might tempt you into making wiser shopping choices when it comes to considering British meat in the future.
For example, reports show that British meat cuts have around 17.12kg CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) of estimated carbon footprint per kilo in comparison to a global average carbon footprint of 46kg CO2e per kilo. Therefore, buying British meat can make a significant reduction to your carbon footprint without much effort on your behalf at all.
Furthermore, British meat is produced under the British Meat Processors Association Standards, which enforce some of the highest welfare standards across the globe and ensures the best quality of British meat cuts. Therefore, when purchasing British meat you can be confident that your produce is of the highest quality throughout the whole of its production process.
Buying British meat also supports British farmers, helping to maintain their livelihoods by ensuring they can keep running and producing stock to be distributed across the UK. This is significant because farmers have experienced a huge drop in demand for their products despite being right on our doorsteps, which is placing them under financial difficulty.
What Is The Best Beef In The UK?
In the UK, we have many delicious beef varieties, but the one that is most popular is British Angus Beef. Whether purebred or crossbred, British Angus Beef is considered to be one of the tastiest types of beef in the UK due to high carcass yield with great marbling, making it ideal for creating the best beef burgers.
Due to their impeccable genetics, British Angus Beef is also used to crossbreed and improve the standards of beef produced across the UK, as well as the milking ability of other animals.
Is British Beef Good Quality?
British Beef is good quality due to the extensive regulations set by the British Meat Processors Association combined with the large-scale grass grazing systems used in the UK.
The British Meat Processors Association provides additional guidance on how to set and continuously improve the standards of meat production within the UK. The large-scale grass grazing systems used in the UK ensure that the grass feed is of high nutritional value which contributes to better quality British Beef.
Is British Beef The Best In The World?
British Beef is considered to be some of the best meat in the world due to the use of the grass grazing systems in the UK. Rotational Grass Grazing Systems provide a range of benefits including:
- Increased grass production
- Longer grazing season
- Increased stocking rates
- Reduced input costs (e.g. fertiliser and additional feed
- Increased growth rates
- Increased reliance of pasture through difficult weather conditions
- Gain the ability to ration grass ready for periods of slow growth
With the increased quality of grass feed, UK British Beef is bred to be some of the best quality and best tasting in the world.
Where Does UK Meat Come From?
Meat in the UK is either imported or home grown, but where exactly does it come from? According to the BMPA, meat processing companies rely on imports for 26% of their supply and the imported meat cuts are usually transported from Ireland or the Netherlands due to their extensive amount of cattle. They are one of the four largest beef exporters worldwide.
Meat produced in the UK is usually bred on farms up and down the country, but not every farm can afford to do so anymore due to competitive pricing from imports and increased overheads of their farms. However, most farms do have at least some form of meat being produced on their farm whether that be Cattle, Sheep, or Lamb.
British Beef at Buy Britain
British Beef is some of the highest quality and tastiness across the globe, and when purchased helps to reduce our carbon footprint whilst also helping our hardworking farmers continue to run their farms. Buy Britain has a selection of British grown meats including diced venison, pigeon, pork, and beef. For more information on the UK grown meats available at Buy Britain click here.
