Kerr slams Tesco over lamb banner

The Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP said the move was “at best foolishness, at worst open hypocrisy.”

He added: “This really is appalling. Tesco is the UK’s biggest retailer and it makes tens of millions of pounds out of Scottish shoppers.

“The very least it can do is to promote our excellent products properly in their home market. To put up a banner saying ‘the best Scottish lamb in season’ and then sell a similar product from the other side of the world right underneath it is just offensive.”

Mr Kerr, the SNP lead Westminster spokesperson on the environment, food and rural affairs, continued: “I shall be writing to Tesco’s chief executive demanding an apology for this, along with an assurance that it will not happen again and that Scottish lamb will be on the shelves instead. With problems such as low prices, a crisis in the dairy industry, supply chain issues and a poor summer, Scottish farmers are having it tough enough already without a major supermarket chain demeaning their products in this way.

The signage was uncovered by NFU Scotland at the Tesco Extra store at Hermiston Gait, Edinburgh.