LMC delighted with UFU corporate membership

LMC joined the UFU as a corporate member just before the COVID-19 pandemic and despite the challenges of the last 16 months, renewal of UFU membership was a no-brainer for LMC.

LMC chief executive Ian Stevenson explained: “LMC is an organisation that is funded by beef and sheep farmers and processors to provide a range of technical and market development services to the industry.

“It makes perfect sense for LMC to be directly connected with the membership of UFU both in terms of the thousands of farmers and farm families who constitute and lead the UFU, but also those other corporate members who have important connections to farmers in their everyday businesses.

“LMC’s vision is for a profitable future for the NI beef and sheep meat industries at all levels of the supply chain. We have excellent engagement with UFU representatives on a daily basis regarding our business activities and we greatly value the views of farmers as we develop our strategy and services to support the industry.

“Supply chains have been tested to their absolute limits in the last 16 months with the COVID-19 pandemic and the out-workings of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, but the industry has once again proven its resilience and determination to function effectively and supply a full range of domestic and export customers with our world class produce.

“The most important lesson that can we can learn from both of these major events is that the agri-food industry in NI is much stronger when it works together to influence or achieve a particular outcome. Having a corporate membership of UFU allows LMC to retain its independence and impartiality and enables it to work closely with like-minded organisations to help drive forward the collective interests of farmers and their supply chains on a wide range of important issues from market access to the credentials of our industry,” concluded Stevenson.