Bad news for sheep farmers
Sheep farmers may be considering cutting back next year’s breeding stock by 40 per cent because of the drop in prices paid for their animals.
According to some reports, farmers receiving anything between £8 and £12 a kilo for meat are losing £29 for each lamb they sell. Yet shoppers are still paying from £8 to £12 a kilo for the meat.
To add to their woes, last year’s wet weather forced farmers to rely on feed rather than pasture and the cost of feed has soared due to poor harvests and other factors.
The drop in prices paid for lambs follows a number of years of stable and relatively high prices, encouraging farmers to expand flocks, and they are now expecting a bumper lambing season. At the same time, farmers are competing with cheaper, imported New Zealand lamb, and NFU livestock board chairman Charles Sercombe confirms there is now a glut. British farmers may decide to cut back next year’s breeding stock as they attempt to balance the books.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Spalding
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
