text: A sheep farmer has won an apology from supermarket giant Asda after a leg of lamb she bought from them labelled as British turned out to be imported from the other side of the world. Sue Sharp was shocked to find a stamp on the £11 joint saying it had come from New Zealand despite Asda's packaging claiming it was born, reared and slaughtered in the UK. Mrs Sharp, who runs a 1,600-acre sheep farm with her husband Robert, had purposely sought out British produce in support of her fellow farmers. Misleading: The leg of lamb Sue Sharp bought from Asda in Midlothian, Scotland, claims on the packaging that it is from the UK. But a stamp on the meat (pictured) is from the New Zealand health inspector . But she was horrified when she got home and found the 'home-grown' leg of lamb had actually been flown halfway round the world to the store in Midlothian, Scotland. Asda said the mislabelled lamb was a one-off and that the gaffe was the result of human error. But Mrs Sharp has questioned the claim and is now warning other shoppers to be extra vigilant when choosing their joints of meat. The label on the Asda Butcher's Selection leg states it is 'Born in the UK. Reared in the UK. Slaughtered in the UK. Cut in the UK' but a stamp branded onto the animal's skin carries the stamp of the New Zealand health inspector. The error has been called 'unacceptable' by farming unions who are now demanding to meet with bosses at the supermarket chain to discuss their future plans for selling British lamb. Asda says it has carried out an investigation into the mistake which revealed Mrs Sharp's leg of lamb was the only one mislabelled at the Galashiels store she shopped at. Sue Sharp, 57, has refused to accept Asda's explanation that the mistake was a one-off . Mrs Sharp, 57, whose farm has 1,300 sheep, said: 'As a sheep farmer I'm very interested in making sure I buy British meat. 'The lamb I bought from Asda was clearly labelled UK born, UK raised, UK slaughtered. 'It wasn't until I got home and looked at it more closely that I realised the stamp actually on the meat itself said New Zealand. 'It was a bit of a shock and something I feel rather strongly about as a sheep farmer - the last thing I want to do is buy New Zealand lamb. 'I was completely baffled so I wrote to Asda and they came back apologising but saying it was an isolated incident. 'I just don't believe that. I'm sure it was a mistake but I bet there were more, I can't see how just one could have been wrongly labelled.' She added: 'They've held their hands up but is that enough? A big company like Asda should have procedures in place to make that sort of error pretty much impossible to make. 'As farmers we have to deal with traceability. The form-filling is really onerous, and that needs to apply right the way through the chain. 'We are doing our part so you would have thought big companies should be able to do their part. 'I think British meat is a better product, it tastes better, but it's also much better for the environment than shipping it round the world. You couldn't get much farther away than New Zealand.' Mrs Sharp has now advised other people to check their meat thoroughly to make sure it is from where it says it is. John Armour from NFU Scotland said: 'For a sheep farmer like Mrs Sharp to have bought a product she thought would support her fellow British farmers only to discover that it was imported is unacceptable and Asda has acknowledged that. An Asda spokesman said: 'This was an isolated incident where a leg of lamb was accidentally mislabelled' It is estimated that more than 70 per cent of the New Zealand lamb sold in Britain comes from halal slaughterhouses without the fact being declared on the label. All the slaughtermen in these establishments must be Muslim and say a prayer when making the cut across the animal’s throat which kills it. The New Zealand meat industry has taken the step to ensure its lamb can be sold in Muslim markets round the world. In conventional slaughterhouses, animals are stunned before they are killed by having their throats cut. However, in most Muslim countries, halal means the animals must not be stunned first. 'Asda's planned review of practices at the Galashiels store is a sensible step and it would be prudent for guidance to be re-issued to its suppliers and all Asda stores across the country to avoid fresh meat being incorrectly labelled in the future. 'Shoppers who want to support British farmers need to be able to trust the labels used in every supermarket.' He added: 'Thankfully incidents of this kind are rare but the vigilance of Mrs Sharp has provided an excellent reminder to all retailers of the need for best practice and accurate labelling at all times. 'If it says Scottish or British on the label, it must be Scottish or British in the packet.' An Asda spokesman said: 'This was an isolated incident where a leg of lamb was accidentally mislabelled. 'We pride ourselves on product traceability and transparency and are committed to sourcing British products first when in season. 'This was a genuine colleague error for which we apologise and was not meant to mislead any of our customers in any way. 'We've briefed our colleagues at the Galashiels store to make sure this doesn't happen again.'
target: Sue Sharp shocked to find 'home-grown' leg of lamb from New Zealand .
  She refuses to accept Asda's explanation that it was a one-off mistake .
  The sheep farmer has now warned shoppers to be extra vigilant .