There are strong links between diet and health. Dietary recommendations have been formulated by many organisations aiming to improve the population's health. One recommendation with wide support is “Eat less fat.” In the British diet fat is supplied by a range of foods; for some there Is consumer resistance to a reduction In fat, but for meat there is a (coincidental) rejection of fat for reasons of palatability. Consumer demand is for lean meat. This consumer choice ought to be advantageous to meat producers since fat production generally requires a greater feed input. However, evidence from the abattoir reveals that many animals have excessive fat cover. It was decided to solicit the views of farmers on questions relating to the issue of lean rather than fatty meat.

Comments were invited by way of an open letter published widely in the farming press early in 1983.