'Booths Country' promise on work with local farmers from Yorkshire supermarket

Meat buyer David Simons said: “Booths has always prided itself in the quality of the meat we sell.

"We pioneered a very successful programme of sourcing regional and seasonal lamb sourcing Lakeland, Herdwick and Salt Marsh lambs from local farmers to offer customers a true taste of the region.

“The warm reception received each season has showed us a clear appetite from our customers for regionally sourced meat, motivating us to work with our supply chain to ensure the meat sold at the in-store butchery is sourced on our doorstep, in Booths Country.”

Booths has long held a British-only sourcing policy and has been committed to fully skilled butcher, cheesemonger and delicatessen counters and has its own butchery, fish and cheese academies to train store colleagues.

There are also plans to add a hospitality academy.

Mr Simons added: “Working with local farmers and processors enables us to stock seasonal and locally sourced meat, which supports local agriculture, benefits animal welfare and offers a great product for our customers.”

Ian Knight, a fifth generation Cumbria fell farmer, both sells lambs and finishes lambs from a Booths-owned flock.

He said he was pleased by the company’s commitment to the region’s farmers and hope other firms consider introducing similar policies.

“The support and respect that Booths shows for local producers sets an example for how to do business.

"Farmers and retailers need to work cooperatively, sharing insight and best practice, resulting in the best possible produce for their customers.

"A customer of Booths is a customer of my farm and I’m very proud of that.

“It’s a very positive step for both the local farming community, Booths and our customers.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​