MOTORISTS using the M3 between Basingstoke and Winchester were today greeted by a giant sheep.
A 30m by 40m advertising sheet displaying the animal has been laid in a hillside field to encourage more people to buy British lamb in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis.
The English Beef & Lamb Executive (EBLEX) hopes to get sales "rolling again" after an export ban has left the country with a 30 per cent surplus of the meat.
Nick Allen from EBLEX said: "It's hit us a maximum production time and we've lost the export market.
"We would normally export about one third of the lams to be leaving the country as carcasses right now."
The sheep will stay in place for about ten days when it estimated it will be seen by more than one million people.
"It's a simple message and good for grabbing people's attention," Mr Allen added.
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