Livestock producers have seen an increased demand for all types of sheep in recent months and the trend looks set to continue with the rise in ethnic populations both in the UK and abroad.
That was the good news story from Scott Donaldson, managing director of Harrison and Hetherington, who said the rise in demand from smaller wholesalers, the halal market and the continent have combined to bolster sheep values which in recent weeks have reached record levels.
He said that cast ewes had sold to £320 to average £150 at Carlisle on Monday, with spring lambs cashing in at £172 having sold to £250 and old season lambs averaging £145, from a top price of £240.
“There is a market for every size and shape of lamb – not just the 36-44kg lambs for the supermarkets but all types for the smaller abattoirs, export and the halal trade,” he said pointing out that more than 90% of UK mutton ends up in the halal sector.
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“I cannot emphasise enough how important the halal market is to the profitability of sheep farming in the UK. Currently, 72% of sheep slaughtered in England and Wales follow Halal processes. Despite Muslims representing only 6.5% of the population, this community consumes 20% of the lamb available in the UK market. Some 62% of Muslims consume lamb on a weekly basis compared to just 6% of the general population.”
Mr Donaldson added that six months ago, a Muslim household was spending £28 per week on all meat compared to £13 for the overall population, so the figure will likely have increased since then. He also added that the Halal trade demands fresh product.
As a result, he said Muslim festivals are becoming increasingly important to the timing of marketing lamb and especially when they land in the spring.
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Looking to the second half of the year, Mr Donaldson remains confident lamb values will remain high throughout the season. This is on the back of increased lamb losses due to the horrendous weather in March and April and Schmallenburg disease which he said has had a dramatic impact on January and early February lambing flocks in the south of England.
However, he was more sceptical about the breeding sheep market when some flockmasters had suffered huge losses due to disease.
“It will be interesting to see what happens in the autumn as I understand some flocks will not be restocking. But, in my opinion breeding sheep will be more expensive to buy, but I don’t anticipate huge increases although following a strong spring hogg market, numbers of gimmers available will be down.”
In contrast, Amanda Watson, technical livestock specialist of Woodhead Bros, Morrisons, told those attending the Scotsheep seminar, that while lamb sales had increased 13.7% over Easter and had attracted 3000 new customers, the cost of living crisis has seen consumers reduce the amount spent on meat.
“Some 99% of people buy meat but everyone buys less meat and about 35% of evening meals now exclude meat,” she said.
The figures which were based on a consumer survey of more than 3000 shoppers revealed that almost half struggle with household finances and while their consumption of lamb has fallen, more are looking to buy British food.
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