Welsh Lamb Renews Push for Middle East Trade Welsh meat processors will join promotion agency Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) at the world’s largest annual trade fair this month, in a bid to resume excellent progress on promoting PGI Welsh Lamb in the Middle East region. Gulfood, which takes place in the Dubai World Trade Centre with representatives of importers, retailers and foodservice operators from across the region looking for top food and drink products. Welsh Lamb has been established in the United Arab Emirates for a decade, and the Middle East has been identified as a strategic priority by HCC and the wider Welsh Lamb sector. The meat’s excellent reputation helped to fuel a growth in the value of annual exports from £2.5m to £14.7m – nearly 500% - in the two years before the Covid pandemic hit. “The major growth in Welsh Lamb exports to countries such as the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait that we saw between 2017 and 2019 was a result of consistent marketing and investment by HCC with the support of processors and the Welsh Government, but we have an opportunity now to resume this impressive growth, and Gulfood trade fair will be a key element to that.” HCC’s stand at Gulfood will include a cooking station where samples of Welsh Lamb will be prepared for potential customers to taste.