Aldi is to invest £3bn with British beef suppliers over the next five years to allow farmers to plan confidently and provide security for supply chains across the country.

Part of this move includes a five-year contract with the discount grocer’s supply partner Kepak, providing a £260m investment into its line of Aberdeen Angus beef.

As well as forming part of Aldi’s ongoing commitment to championing authentic British produce and assisting UK producers, the deal will also enhance the quality and range of beef available to customers.

Aldi UK managing director of buying Julie Ashfield said: “As the UK’s largest British beef retailer, we’re proud of our long-term relationships with British farmers across the country.

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“The UK farming community plays a vital role in our food supply chains – our continued investment in British beef is in recognition of this and means we can continue to provide the best quality British products for our customers.”

It comes as Aldi, alongside Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Ocado all launched ‘Best of British’ sections on their websites over the past year to help shoppers easily locate locally grown and sourced produce.

In January, Aldi introduced the dedicated section to its webpage, allowing shoppers to choose from more than 300 British products, such as dairy, meat and fruit. More than 80% of its sales were from British suppliers last year.