More shoppers than ever are recognising the quality of English beef and lamb, according to a survey by the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex).

Asked whether they recognised the Quality Standard Mark on beef and lamb, 58% of shoppers said they did - 8% more than last year.

Cartoons of cricket legends Beefy (Ian Botham) and Lamby (Alan Lamb) have been leading an expensive generic campaign to connect English meat with quality in the minds of consumers.

The survey indicated the investment was paying off, with 68% agreeing the QSM represented quality and 54% saying they would pay more for it.

"This is encouraging news for English levy payers," said Eblex chief executive Richard Ali. "It shows the Eblex objective of differentiating QSM beef and lamb from commodity product is taking hold, along with a willingness of shoppers to pay more."

The next leg of the campaign will begin next month.

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