Lamb price cuts are ‘unjustified’

Cuts to lamb prices by 30p/kg to around 365p/kg this week by factories in NI have been described as “an attempt to knock producer confidence” by the UFU. “This drop in prices is completely unjustified as there has been no great surge in numbers recently. Local slaughter numbers are lower than both the same time last year and in 2014,” said UFU beef and lamb chair Crosby Cleland.

Despite the British trade holding at over 400p/kg, sources maintain that the French market has weakened, and demand in the marts from southern buyers was down at the weekend, mainly due to the bank holiday on Monday. However, the trade in Saintfield on Tuesday was stronger, and factory prices have now edged up again to around 370p/kg.

The advice from Cleland is to sell lambs in-spec at no more than 21kg and to avoid holding on to lambs in the hope of factory prices improving.“Holding on to lambs risks bringing more out-of-spec lambs on to the market and these overweight lambs will increase the amount of meat in circulation. Unfortunately, this will only give processors more excuses to pull prices,” said Cleland.

He also maintained that the strong start to the store lamb trade has given farmers a suitable market outlet for lambs that need finished.

MEPs differ on farm support

There were differing views on the future of UK farm subsidies post-Brexit at a meeting in Letterkenny last week organised by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association.

“CAP payments made up 87% of farmers’ incomes in the North last year. I have no faith, and anyone I have spoken to on the remain side has no faith whatsoever, that a British government will replace those funds, so our farming industry is under serious threat,” said local MEP Martina Anderson.

But UKIP agriculture spokesperson and MEP Stuart Agnew was more optimistic about the future of farm payments.

“Every single Tory MP I have spoken to has said that they will support agriculture – the question is how and to what degree,” he said.

He also dismissed the idea of farmgate pricing legislation. “We cannot have that and remain in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). All political parties in the UK, as far as I know, still want to remain in the WTO,” he said.

Career events

CAFRE will host career events across its three campuses on 25 August to coincide with the release of GCSE exam results. The Enniskillen and Greenmount campuses will hold events from 7pm and an event at Loughry campus will run from 3pm to 8pm.