News in Brief

i. Dairy ‘milk your moments’ campaign launched to increase consumption
A social media, digital and television campaign has been announced which aims to highlight the need for personal moments during lockdown and the positive role fresh milk and dairy play in helping us connect during these challenging times.

AHDB and Dairy UK are working with Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on the 12-week campaign, which goes live next week. It will be funded through a combination of £500,000 from the UK Governments, £300,000 from Dairy UK members and £200,000 from AHDB.

ii. First stage of Scottish Agriculture Bill passed
The Scottish Parliament has passed Stage 1 of the Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill which enables Scottish Ministers to ensure that CAP schemes can extend beyond 2020.

The Bill also allows for modifications in relation to the CAP and updates the legal basis for collecting agri and food supply chain data.

iii. HCC announces lengthening in average shelf-life for PGI Welsh lamb
Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat promotion Wales (HCC) have announced a significant improvement in the shelf-life of PGI Welsh lamb; up by 16% over the past year to an average of 33 days.

The increase is attributed to training courses on best practice for livestock presentation and improving abattoirs and transportation. Extending the shelf-life of food products is a key factor for competitiveness in the retail market.