English meat chiefs have announced plans to create a 10-strong marketing team to carve out a bigger market share for English product.
The announcement follows the Meat and Livestock Commission’s decision to devolve responsibility for competitive marketing activities to the regional bodies, Quality Meat Scotland, Meat Promotion Wales and the English Beef and Lamb Executive.
Interviews were set to get underway this week, with EBLEX looking to recruit the new team partly from within the MLC. Andrew Garvey, EBLEX head of marketing, said: “It’s rational to start with people already within the MLC. They’ve got the experience and can hit the ground running.”
He said if necessary the recruitment process would widen out to the rest of the country in the new year.
“We welcome the opportunity to take responsibility for delivering our ambitious marketing plans. We have a very clear strategy to increase the share of English beef and lamb and plans are well developed to launch an English brand in 2004.”
He said the new marketing team was expected to be in place in the first quarter of next year with two teams, one looking at trade, the other at consumer-facing activity, while a further member would act as marketing co-ordinator.
Garvey said EBLEX had already appointed Phil Davies as trade sector manager. Five sector project managers will work under him, looking at the various supply chains. A further two people will make up the consumer marketing team.
John Cross, chairman of EBLEX, said: “The board has moved quickly but effectively to put in place the structure and the people it needs to continue.”