National Lamb Day

13 February 2007

National Lamb Day

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II has written to Meat & Wool New Zealand congratulating the meat industry on the anniversary that marks 125 years since the first frozen meat shipment left New Zealand bound for the United Kingdom.
A letter from Buckingham Palace to Meat & Wool New Zealand Chairman, Jeff Grant, said the Queen was interested to learn about National Lamb Day on 15 February, celebrating the 125 anniversary, and she sent her “warm good wishes for a successful and enjoyable celebration.”

The Queen was one of many hundreds of people Meat & Wool New Zealand has written to highlighting the significant anniversary for the New Zealand meat industry and also suggesting they eat lamb on that day to celebrate, Jeff Grant said.

“Her Majesty did not say if New Zealand lamb would be on the royal menu on the 15th, but we do know there will be many people enjoying New Zealand lamb that day. Members of Parliament have been invited by the Minister of Agriculture, Hon Jim Anderton to a barbecue at Parliament where Bellamy’s Executive Chef, Charles Noville will create a barbeque lamb recipe in honour of the 125 celebrations. Industry partners supporting this event are Retail Meat New Zealand, Meat & Wool New Zealand, the New Zealand Meat Industry Association and the New Zealand Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau.

Letters have also been sent to New Zealand Mayors, national sporting teams, and a range of high profile New Zealanders suggesting they eat lamb on Thursday. The Iron Maidens Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, Sarah Ulmer and Angela McKee are right behind National Lamb Day and so too is former All Black Caption Sean Fitzpatrick who is planning New Zealand lamb for the family’s dinner in the United Kingdom.

Many New Zealanders at home and offshore have already indicated they will be doing their bit for National Lamb Day.

“We’ve heard Ashburton Hospital patients will be served lamb on Thursday and so too will the guests who visit Air New Zealand’s Koru Lounge in Christchurch. New Zealand embassies around the world have been encouraged to include New Zealand lamb on the menu if possible, for any functions they have around this time.”

The Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington has made lamb the feature of a seven course dinner on National Lamb Day and the anniversary has been promoted through the hotel’s extensive database.

“There’s also going to be a function at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, attended by rugby and rowing club members. Members of the Cambridge Rowing Club were among the first to eat the New Zealand meat that arrived in 1882.”

Iron Brion, the Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau “Mascot” who visits schools, with messages about the importance of good nutrition is also right behind National Lamb Day, making several media appearances in the coming days. Iron Brion talks to 200,000 children a year about nutrition and the importance of lean beef and lamb in a well balanced diet.

Posters and brochures have been produced to commemorate the 125 years since the departure of the sailing ship Dunedin from Port Chalmers and they will be seen in many supermarkets and butchers around New Zealand. They contain some of the history of the first shipment and key nutritional information about New Zealand lamb.

“We’ve been delighted the way the industry as a whole has got behind this celebration - with operators like Foodstuffs, Progressive Foods, Taylor Preston, the Mad Butcher and other meat retailers around the country promoting National Lamb Day.”

Meat & Wool New Zealand has approached the New Zealand Meat Workers and Related Trades Union Inc with 125 celebrations information for another important part of the industry – the meat workers.

Meat & Wool New Zealand has also been interested in hearing the stories of descendents of people involved in that first voyage. There has been a steady stream of calls from those with stories about all sorts of people from drovers, sailors and butchers to the people who developed the refrigeration plant on the ship.

The venture 125 years ago was the first step in establishing New Zealand’s meat and wool export industry that now contributes over $5.5 billion a year to the New Zealand economy.

ENDS

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