The National Sheep Association is calling on consumers to choose British lamb for their Easter Sunday meals.

Fresh lamb from this year’s crop has started arriving at independent butchers and major retailers, the association confirmed.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said supermarkets would be providing multiple special offers to entice buyers to stock up on quality produce for the long bank holiday weekend, with lamb featuring as a favoured option.

The organization is encouraging shoppers to purchase British lamb or hogget – meat from sheep approximately 12 months old that have required extra time to reach market because of their particular breed or production systems.

Stocker also highlighted the wider benefits of British sheep farming.

He explained the British sheep industry depends substantially on open grazing areas, much of which cannot be converted to alternative agricultural uses.

Lamb raised on grass produces considerably lower environmental consequences than processed foods, and critically, grassland also functions as a vital carbon storage mechanism.

Sheep grazing within mixed farming systems naturally improve soil health for growing crops, allowing agricultural producers to balance biodiversity conservation with productive yields.

He described lamb as full of flavour, ethically produced by the nation’s hardworking farmers.