Bosses at a livestock auction and an award-winning Bradford farm shop have thrown their weight behind a new campaign to reassure consumers following the recent horsemeat scandal.

The Livestock Auctioneers Association has produced a poster for butchers to help promote locally-sourced meat and reassure consumers about traceability.

The poster aims to inform customers about the provenance and quality of the meat they are buying.

It has been produced in the wake of horsemeat being found in some meat products in the UK and other EU countries earlier this year.

Chris Dodds, LAA executive secretary, said it wanted to support farmers, butchers and wholesalers which used livestock markets.

He said: “From the consumers’ perspective, meat that has been sourced from their local livestock market is traceable, high quality and value for money.

“We wanted to help ensure that consumers are aware of the benefits of buying their meat in this way, at same time giving our support to those in the rural economy who use the markets.”

Jeremy Eaton, general manager of Craven Cattle Marts in Skipton, said: “Full traceability and provenance remain key words throughout our entire operation and we know the history of all livestock sold through Skipton Auction Mart by each and every one of our farmer vendors from a wide area.

“We will support the LAA scheme by arranging for our retail butcher buyers to receive a certificate to accompany stock bought for sale in their respective shops. This will supplement the rosettes we already issue to butchers who purchase prize-winning prime lambs and clean cattle through the mart at our monthly primestock shows.

“Craven is renowned as a sheep-producing area and we sell high quality prime lambs on a weekly basis. Our advice to consumers is to look for the new promotional poster in their local butcher’s shop as a mark of quality and a guarantee that the meat they eat has been sourced direct from local farmers.”

Keelham Farm Shop. in Thornton, Bradford, the reigning UK farm shop of the year, buys prime lamb and beef from local auction marts every week, including multiple champions and prizewinners at Skipton.

Co-owner James Robertshaw, said: “We continue to source meat from some 300 farmers across Yorkshire, which makes us one of the biggest single supporters of our regional agricultural communities.

“We fully endorse this latest initiative, as traceability is a big issue at the moment and more and more of our customers want to know where the meat they eat comes from.”

The horsemeat scandal has pushed up demand for fresh meat rather than processed meat products such as burgers. Bradford-based Morrisons reported an upsurge of shoppers seeking advice from its in-store butchers and buying more fresh meat.