The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC), London’s most prestigious purpose built centre for professional meetings and events, will be holding the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) Live in London event.

Held on Tuesday 14th February, the Live in London event is to mark the culmination of the Sheep Better Returns Programme (BRP), the two year programme designed to help English sheep producers hone their selection, breeding and marketing skills.

The Sheep BRP comprised of hands-on, practical training sessions at auction markets, abattoirs and farms across England.

The event aims to persuade Defra, Regional Development Agencies and others who fund development programmes and make rural policy, to continue and extend funding for the EBLEX Sheep BRP and so underpin a sustainable sheep sector in the uplands and countryside of England.

Uniquely, EBLEX will be bringing the sheep to its stakeholders - half a dozen sheep will be brought by a shepherd from their farm on the morning of the event and provided with comfortable, bedded pens, feed and water in their temporary accommodation in The QEIICC.

From 1.30pm there will be four demonstrations of how EBLEX trained or advised farmers, including 'How to select sheep for market', 'Using performance measures to select the right rams/tups’. There will also be a demonstration on consumer preference for lean meat cuts.

EBLEX will also be explaining how the Sheep BRP project reached and achieved its targets, presenting formal project evaluation and showing the audience the full range of educational materials, including sheep management and marketing manuals, interactive software and DVD packs for colleges. The event will be addressed by Lord Bach, Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food, Defra.

Stephen Norcliffe, commercial director at The QEIICC comments “To have such a unique and important event held at The QEIICC is a huge compliment to us. With such an unusual and interesting feature as bringing live sheep to the stakeholders, it reflects on the adaptability of the Centre to be able to cater for this, as well as the event.”

Chris Lloyd, manager of the EBLEX BRP says “We are attempting to reach the four corners of England for support, but in doing this, London remains the most important location. Bringing sheep to London allows us access to the most important government officials and politicians in order to demonstrate how this ambitious project has delivered its objectives with the aid of industry support. Holding our event at the QEII Conference Centre, in the heart of Westminster, could not have provided us with a better venue location.”