Irish consumers aged 25 to 45 are more aware of the role lamb production plays in the rural economy and environment than their EU counterparts. They are also more aware of advertising campaigns for lamb promotion and can recall the content of advertisements more readily. The findings come from the baseline study of the recently launched EU Lamb Promotion campaign aimed at informing consumers in the 25 to 45 age bracket of the social and environmental role played by lamb production and increasing the attractiveness of lamb as an “everyday” meat of choice. The results of the survey on meat consumption, lamb consumption, the image of lamb and lamb production and consumer awareness of promotional campaigns will now inform the promotional initiatives in each of the six participating countries.
The survey was carried out in Ireland, the UK and France which are the co-sponsors of the campaign and in Germany, Denmark and Belgium which are seen as growth markets for EU lamb. Bord Bia along with AHDB in the UK and Interbev in France are rolling out the campaign in their respective domestic markets and in the target export markets. The three-year information and promotion campaign will be assessed again in 2017 to measure the impact on consumption in the six countries involved. For more information, visit www.tastyeasylamb.ie. While the overall findings show that there is a way to go to increase the consumption of lamb (currently 35% of Irish consumers eat lamb on 2 or more occasions each month) and the awareness of the role of sheep farming in the rural areas and in the rural environment, there are also many encouraging signs for the development of the sector at home and in export markets.
According to Declan Fennell, Bord Bia's lamb expert,the survey provides a positive platform from which to launch the campaign, "This survey confirms that Irish consumers are supportive of lamb production and understand its importance. With the support of this campaign, we hope to increase consumption on the domestic market through a print and digital marketing campaign and by raising awareness of alternative lamb cuts and cooking recipes which can make it more of an "everyday" meal option. When the sample cohort was prompted in relation to which countries produce lamb, Ireland was rated in the top two, and generally number one import supplier, confirming our already strong export reputation. The survey also showed that there is an opportunity for Ireland with our Origin Green programme to respond to the demand for information on sustainable lamb production systems by Danish, German and Belgian consumers”.
Survey Results:
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Ireland scored less well when it came to recognition of individual cuts of lamb though with a high recognition of cutlets, leg and chops.
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The economic value of sheep production to the landscape and the rural economy as well as appreciation of its characteristics is more pronounced in the producing countries but what was interesting was the heightened awareness in Ireland in comparison to other countries.
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Lamb producing countries logically have a higher consumption rate, with 8 to 9 respondents out of 10 who consume this type of meat at least on a yearly basis and 3 to 4 out of 10 who consume it more than once a month (38% in the UK, 35% in Ireland and 28% in France).
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Denmark has the lowest consumption rate, with 35% who never consume lamb and a majority (52%) who only eats lamb once a month or less.
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Whether eating in restaurants or at home, results for Ireland are very balanced with all meal occasions reaching approximately 40%.
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The 3 main reasons for non or low consumption of lamb are the same in all 6 countries - price, taste and lack of expertise in cooking the meat.
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The UK is the country in which the respondents appear to be the more concerned by the price of lamb (48% quote expensiveness as a reason for low consumption). On the contrary, in Denmark, only 1 respondent out of 4 was turned off by the price.
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Taste is mentioned as a reason for low consumption by 1 out of 3 in the target countries, and 1 out of 4 in producing countries
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Lack of experience in cooking lamb is quoted by 1 respondent out of 4 in Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Ireland. It increases to 1 out of 3 in France, whereas it is only quoted by 1 out of 5 in the UK
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Respondents from Germany and Denmark are more often confronted with the lack of lamb at their retailer (14% and 12% vs less than 5% in other countries)
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German respondents felt more concerned than others that lamb is badly farmed (7%)
Awareness of origins of lamb
As a general trend, respondents are not well aware of the origin of the lamb they consume and when asked to quote producing countries in an unprompted way, they most often quoted their own country as lamb producer, both in producing and non-producing countries. When offered to choose from a list of countries, respondents selected on average 2 to 3 countries as being lamb producers. They still mentioned their own country first (except for Denmark, where it was placed second), but other countries such as New Zealand and Ireland were the most prominent.
Knowledge of lamb cuts
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Among the list of 13 lamb cuts proposed in the survey, respondents were familiar with between 5 and 8 cuts on average, France and the UK registering the highest scores (8.5 and 7.7) and Denmark the lowest (5,3). The cohort consumes or cooks 3 to 5 cuts on average. As a general trend, cutlets, breast and leg appear to be the better known cuts, and also the most consumed, with differences depending on countries:
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British and Irish respondents mentioned chops (71 and 86%), diced or cubed lamb (51 and 65%) and shank (57 and 63%) more often than respondents from other countries, they are less familiar with breast (34%) and saddle (26 and 25%)
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French respondents were more familiar with leg (95%), shoulder (80%), strip (70%), neck (70%) and shank (73%) than respondents from other countries
Consumption & recipe sources
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Websites, cook books and family recipes are the most popular sources of information, each being used by 1 respondent out of 2 or more respondents.
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Respondents from Ireland and the UK tend to use web sites less than others (44 and 46%), preferring family recipes (60 and 62%). They are also more influenced by TV food shows (16 and 21%).
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French respondents are more open than others to advice from their own butcher (26%).
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Large proportions of those sampled (4 to 6 respondents out of 10) do not feel well enough informed about the different ways of cooking lamb.
Image of lamb
As a general trend, respondents from non-producing countries (Belgium, Germany and Denmark) had difficulties in forming an opinion on the questions of the image of lamb (high percentages of I don’t know”), which is understandable as lamb consumption in these countries is low and largely occasional. Overall, when they provided an opinion:
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Most respondents said they enjoy the taste of lamb. More than 3 respondents out of 4 agree with the statement in the UK, Ireland, France and Belgium. 2 out of 3 enjoy the taste in Germany and Denmark.
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8 to 9 meat consumers out of 10 also agree that lamb is suitable for a variety of recipes. There is no strong disagreement on this statement but respondents from non- producing countries register a high ”I don’t know” rate (26% in Belgium, 28% in Germany and 45% in Denmark)
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A majority of respondents (7 to 8 out of 10) also agree that lamb is easy to prepare.
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Only 5 respondents out of 10 from non- producing countries think that lamb is quick to prepare, the result increase to 6 out of 10 in producing countries
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In the UK, Ireland and Denmark, 7 respondents out of 10 agree that lamb is suitable for everyday meals, 5 out of 10 agree in Belgium and only 4 out of 10 in France and Germany.
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France is the country which registers the lower results on these items, maybe because the most consumed cuts (leg, shoulder) take longer to cook.
Image of Lamb Production
In all 6 countries respondents declared a lack of information on how lamb is produced:
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Only 2 to 4 out of 10 feel sufficiently informed - the better informed being the British and the Irish and the less informed being the Danish and French
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When they did provide an opinion, the large majority of respondents have a positive image of how lamb is farmed in Europe
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8 to 9 out of 10 agree that sheep farming plays an important role in shaping the landscapes, contributes to the economic activity of rural zones and helps maintain biodiversity in the grazing lands.
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7 to 8 out of 10 were also positive about European sheep farming and that it is carried out in ways that respect the environment
European Lamb Differentiation
The first observation is that a large proportion of respondents don’t know what would differentiate European lamb production from other countries:
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In France, Ireland and Germany, 3 respondents out of 10 are unable to identify differences
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The figure rises to 5 out of 10 in Belgium and the UK and 7 out of 10 in Denmark
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When they have an opinion, respondents mostly think that European lamb is better than lamb from other countries. In particular, they judge European lamb to be of better quality and produced with better sustainability
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However, the main difference they notice relates to the price of European lamb, which is systematically judged to be more expensive than lamb from other countries
Advertising Campaigns
Awareness of advertising campaigns for lamb over the past 12 months varies from one country to another but remains relatively low:
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Irish and French respondents are the most aware of promotion campaigns (respectively 21% and 17% remember a campaign)
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1 respondents out of 10 or less remembers a campaign in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Denmark
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Apart for Ireland, most respondents who remember a campaign fail to quote specific items or message, and give very general and vague answers when asked to describe what the campaign was about
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In Ireland, 3 respondents out of 10 who remember a campaign recall that it was about Irish origins of the meat and was promoted by Bord Bia
Conclusions
The conclusions of the survey are that putting in place an information and promotion campaign is worthwhile as room for improvement exist in all countries because:
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In all 6 countries, a majority of people consume lamb less than once a month
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In the 3 non-lamb producing growth markets of Belgium, Germany and Denmark, important proportions of the samples do not consume lamb at all.
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Outlining the variety of culinary uses and the convenience of cooking lamb is worthwhile.
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Lamb is still strongly perceived as a special treat and not an everyday product and people only consume 3 to 5 types of cuts among the 13 existing. In all countries, strong proportions of those sampled (4 to 6 respondents out of 10) do not feel sufficiently informed about the different ways of cooking lamb.
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The digital component of the program fits in well with the people's habits as 5 to 7 respondents select websites as most common source of information.
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Dealing with the environmental issues of lamb production appears crucial as in all 6 countries only 2 to 4 respondents feel sufficiently informed.
About the campaign:
This three year pan European lamb campaign is focussed on promotion and marketing activities across Ireland, England and France and also Belgium, Germany and Denmark, which have been identified as having significant potential. Three promotional agencies; Bord Bia in Ireland, AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) in the UK, and Interbev in France, will be investing €7.7 million over a 36 month campaign (2015-17) period with 50% of this being funded by the European Union. For more information visit www.tastyeasylamb.ie