Japanese visit UK meat plants

Officials from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture visited farms and abattoirs in Britain last week, as part of a process aimed at eventually opening the Japanese market to UK beef, closed since the days of BSE.

Speaking after the visit, Defra Farm Minister George Eustice estimated that access to the Japanese market could be worth £15m per year to the British beef industry.

However, at present, the Japanese market is protected with a 38.5% tariff on beef imports, but that looks set to change as part of the trade deal between the EU and Japan announced last week.

As well as reduced tariffs on beef (reduced over a 15-year period), the EU has negotiated improved access to the lucrative Japanese cheese market in return for lower tariffs on Japanese car exports to the EU. The trade deal is expected to be implemented from 2019.

Factories move to control lamb trade

Lamb quotes are holding at 430p/kg payable to 21kg this week as processors try to control the trade. Prices have come under pressure since the start of the month, dropping by 30p/kg or just over £6 per lamb.

However, farmers maintain the price drop in unjust, especially as factory agents remain extremely active in the marts, paying prices of £94 to £98 per head over the past week.

On a 21kg carcase, the live trade is paying the equivalent of 445p to 465p/kg which is well ahead of factory quotes.

In contrast to the local trade, lamb prices south of the border have hardened this week due to tighter numbers of fat lambs coming on to the market.

Southern processors are paying the sterling equivalent of 460p/kg and were also active in NI marts last week.

Lambs exported from NI to southern plants totalled 171,544 during the first six months of 2017, down 7,000 on the same period last year.

The local sheep kill during the first half of 2017 stood at 182,600, an increase of 13,000 on the previous year.

LacPatrick elects board members

Coming after shareholders approved new governance structures last month, LacPatrick has now finalised a new board, which has been reduced from 25 to 16 seats.

The new board will consist of two members from the Armagh/Down area, two members from the Fermanagh/Tyrone area, four members from the Antrim/Derry area and five members from the Cavan/Monaghan area.

New board members are elected from a new council of 60 members, representing the four supply regions. Two further board members will be elected from the council, but will not represent a specific supply area.

It is understood that the board will elect a chairperson in August and be ready to meet from September onwards.