Incumbents Good Relations and B2B Communications have emerged from the review holding onto their consumer and trade
PR briefs respectively, with four further agencies signing a five-year agreement for projects.
It is understood that Good Relations’ consumer account is worth around £120,000 a year, while B2B’s trade account carries fees of £50,000.
Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster, Ketchum, Nexus Communications and Weber Shandwick have joined the consumer roster, with Biss Lancaster and Nexus also on the trade list.
The creation of the rosters was part of a major overhaul of marketing services across 11 categories, with trade and consumer PR the most recent to be concluded, said Chris Lamb, consumer marketing manager at the Meat and Livestock Commission – a non-departmental public body.
Agreements signed by agencies on the new rosters effectively close off both accounts to outside interests for the next five years.
Lamb said any change of lead agency during that period would be done through a process that would most likely be exclusive to roster firms.
He said: ‘The roster will be in place for five years, which is quite a long period of time. Whether we change agency or use them for projects, that is something that could change. However, if we selected a fresh agency, we would need to go through a long procurement process under EU procurement rules, and that is unlikely.’
A source said the £330,000 projects budget would be divided between what would probably amount to between six and ten commissions annually.
The commission aims to maintain and improve the competitiveness of Britain’s livestock industry and has a remit spanning economic issues and research and new product development. Funding is obtained by a levy on producers and abattoirs.
Its marketing department promotes meat to consumers through the development of recipes.
