A GROUP of Dartmoor farmers has been given a boost this month by South West Food and Drink (SWFD) — the sector's strategic body.

Dartmoor Farmers have developed a Dartmoor brand which they say will add value to beef and lamb, which is retailed both direct and to the retail and catering trade, with a strong link to the tourism sector.

With the backing of SWFD the company is delivering one of 11 independent but linked projects to develop new and sustainable food supply chains.

Mike Houghton of Dartmoor Farmers' consultants Andersons Midlands said the project linked into grant aid from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

He said: 'Brand development and recognition are seen as key factors in growing the business and the chance to promote this further will be a great opportunity.'

Dartmoor Farmers use traditional and environmentally-friendly methods to farm native-breed beef and sheep in the National Park.

Backing for all 11 projects totals £695,000 and SWFD estimate that the investment will generate a further £1.7 million in direct, match and aligned funding. All projects are ineligible for other grants and some link into existing work which will make them more effective.

All the food chain projects will be completed by next March and their findings will be published as downloadable toolkits for other businesses to use in the future.

Christine Marshall, SWFD executive director, said: 'The food and drink sector is of vital importance to the South West economy. Improving the productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of this sector, even by a marginal amount, has the potential to generate substantial economic benefit for the region, its people and businesses.'