CO-OP stores are now British-only when it comes to meat. DUNCAN BICK looks at how this has gone down in Cumbria

CUMBRIA is one of the most rural counties in England and, unsurprisingly, agriculture is a crucial part of the economy.

Livestock farming - for both the meat and dairy industry - is the significant part of this but it has faced major challenges over the last 20 years.

Back in the 1990s and 2000s farmers were faced with the challenges of the British beef ban because of BSE - so-called "mad cow disease" - and then the outbreak of foot and mouth which hit the county in 2001.

More recently low prices for stock and increased foreign competition from cheap imports have also combined to hurt agriculture.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latest announcement from the Co-op that its stores would only sell British meat - and that it was all it would use in its sandwiches, pies and other ready meals - has gone down well with the agricultural community.

Alistair Mackintosh, the Cumbrian delegate to the National Farmers' Union council, gave it an enthusiastic welcome.

He said: "That is excellent news; any supermarket giving that commitment is fantastic news for farmers and it is what we all want to hear.

"I would like to see every supermarket follow that lead and do what the Co-op has done. I know that they are one of the smaller supermarkets but we have got to start somewhere."

This is something which he thinks will have a good effect on agriculture in this part of the world.

"Giving that commitment to British produce means there will be a knock-on effect and it will benefit those of us who are livestock producers," he said.

"It is a fantastic initiative and Cumbrian farmers will benefit."

David Pritchard, the operations director for Harrison and Hetherington, which operates the marts at Broughton, Lazonby, Kirkby Stephen and Carlisle, was also pleased to hear the news.

He said: "This is good for British agriculture so it is going to be supporting Cumbria as well. It is very encouraging that the Co-op are supporting the farmers of the UK."

Mr Pritchard added that this support could help farmers in the market place and encourage more people to sell their stock.

"It is a good measure to create confidence in the farming community and support agriculture," he said.

Another person who has given this an enthusiastic welcome is James Rebanks, one of the most high-profile members of the county's farming community.

He authored his memoir The Shepherd's Life and many know him for his Twitter account Herdwick Shepherd, which has almost 100,000 followers following his farming life in the Lake District.

Mr Rebanks said: "Consumers are getting really cross about (the amount of meat which is imported) - if you look at Facebook or Twitter you read that people are getting really angry about it.

"We are getting support from high end supermarkets like Booths and the budget chains at the bottom of the market but it is the bit in the middle that seems hardest to crack."

This includes Britain's "big four" supermarkets - Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's.

"By supporting British farmers they (consumers) are supporting some of our most beautiful landscapes," he added.

"If you go on holiday and admire the landscape in the Lake District then it is farmers who have helped support that landscape."

He also pointed out money made by farmers is spent in these rural communities and this helps to stop rural communities becoming "low cost" areas such as the American Midwest, where poverty rates are extremely high.

David Corrie-Close, who runs The Horned Beef Company and farms cattle near Ulverston, said: "This is a really positive statement."

He and Mr Rebanks added that the UK has some of the best environmental regulation in the world and it was good to see this was being rewarded.