British farmers unhappy as Asda retracts beef promise

Asda has backed out of a commitment it made in October to stock exclusively British beef, angering farmers.

National Beef Association (NBA) chief executive Neil Shand said he was "deeply disappointed" by Asda's choice.

Asda said their policy had changed because of the rise in British beef prices.

"Whilst we continue to work hard to keep prices as low as possible for our customers, these increases are significant", a spokesperson said.

Farmers are struggling with feed, fertilizer and energy costs escalating at rates "never seen before", according to the NBA.

"Our supermarkets need to support domestic producers as much as possible - now more than ever," Mr Shand said.

Morrisons and Co-op both told the BBC they would continue to only sell British beef, despite the rise in prices.

"We're proud to support British beef farmers and Co-op was the first national supermarket to commit to only selling 100% own brand British meat and poultry. We also only use British meat ingredients in our frozen products and sandwiches and ready meals," Co-op said in a statement.

An Aldi spokesman said the grocer had "no plans to change".

Asda said all fresh beef in its premium Extra Special tier would remain 100% British, while all of the rest of its fresh beef would be sourced from farms in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The country's largest supermarket, Tesco, also sources the fresh beef it sells in the UK from either the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

Asda declined to comment on the decisions of other grocers.

In a statement, the supermarket said: "We know that it is important to our customers that the beef on our shelves has been produced to high welfare standards and is affordable."