Initial figures suggest that deadstock collections of sheep from 1 to 19 March increased by 48% compared with 2017, largely as a result of the heavy snowstorms known as the ‘‘beast from the east’’.

Figures provided by the National Sheep Association and based on collectors’ submissions to 2 April, show that sheep turnover in Scotland in the first 19 days of March rose from £126,732 in 2017 to £187,319 for the same period in 2018.

The average increase across the UK was 18% with turnover totalling £442,431 in 2017 and £522,104 in 2018.

In the northeast of England, collections were up by a staggering 95% to £10,107. In Cumbria, the number rose by 42% to £43,512.

NFU Scotland acknowledged the increase in fallen stock saying that it has been “a long and expensive winter”.