FARMERS producing organic livestock in Pembrokeshire have pledged to introduce consumers to some of the best tasting meat in Britain.

They are among 16 West Wales meat producers who are marketing their lamb and beef direct to the public under the Cambrian Organic Limited banner.

The company, the result of 18 months of detailed planning, was launched on Friday to coincide with the Soil Associations first National Organic Week.

A unique concept of the company is a website where consumers can access details of the farm of origin. It takes traceability one step further, says producer and group secretary Lizzie Shaw, of Pantgwyn, Aberporth. Every piece of meat is labelled with a code. Each farmer has a page giving everything from a description of the family to the way the livestock is reared.

Cambrian Organics has farmer members from Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Powys, including Ed and Val Kirby, of Blaencleddau, Mynachlogddu, and Betina Becker and Steven Jennings, of Dyffryn Isaf, Llandissilio.

They joined forces to directly sell their meat to create a bigger and stronger market. Farms range from 20 acres to 750 acres, all producing Welsh lamb, Welsh Black beef and other traditional beef breeds.

It is a limited company run on co-operative principles. Every shareholder member benefits from the added value, a key to creating a sustainable farming industry in West Wales, insists Lizzie Shaw.

She says all the indicators point to a growing organic market and the package the group can offer its customers is crucial, she says. We can guarantee absolute traceability on our products. It is a case of getting that message across and convincing the public to buy from us.

The livestock is slaughtered at the Huw Evans abattoir at Tregaron, before being butchered and vacuum-packed at the Food Centre Wales, Horeb.

This facility, the location for Fridays launch, has been crucial to the formation of the group. Without it, members would have had to invest more heavily in the project.

The Welsh Development Agency grant-aided the design of the companys logo and the production of stationery and brochures. Further funding is being sought from the National Assembly.

It is anticipated that vegetable growers will be encouraged to join the company in the future.

Its website can be accessed on HYPERLINK http://www.cambrianorganic.com Customers will also be able to talk direct to one of the farmers who will be answering the companys order line on 01559 363151 from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

Val Kirby, of Blaencleddau, Mynachlogddu, takes a look at the Cambrian Organics website. PICTURE: Emyr Rees Williams.