UK

UK sheep inventory close to recent historic levels

Lamb

The breeding flock in the Kingdom has increased by 3% last year, despite a contraction reported in England.

Posted on Apr 04 ,12:46

UK sheep inventory close to recent historic levels

The size of the UK national breeding flock grew last year, standing at 14.5 million head on the 1 December, according to Defra data. This is a growth of almost 3% on-the-year and a contrast to in England where the flock size contracted. The size of the UK national breeding flock grew last year, standing at 14.5 million head on the 1 December, according to Defra data. This is growth of almost 3% on-the-year and a contrast to England where the flock size contracted, informed AHDB in a press release.

 December sheep census


The number of other sheep and lambs also increased, reflecting the expected slaughter pattern. Numbers are up on the year and in line with recent historic averages. However, the increased sheep inventory didn't put pressure on live lamb prices, which are constantly growing in the UK market. Liveweight lamb prices increased again in the week ending 30 March. The OSL SQQ rose by nearly 6p to 267.90p/kg. Auction market throughputs were 123,200 head, 19% more than during the same week last year, when numbers were on the tight side following the UK’s departure from the EU, reported AHDB at the end of March.

 NEWSLETTER - Stay informed with the latest news!

Comments





Similar articles

DENMARK

Danish Crown to close German convenience food division

For more than a decade, Danish Crown has been cutting, marinating, mincing and packaging meat for...


Read more Read more
SCOTLAND

“When You Know You Know” campaign returns to highlight red meat as part of a healthy, balanced diet

With 86% of shoppers claiming to have at least one healthy eating priority, the campaign resonate...


Read more Read more
CHINA

China will investigate beef imports as oversupply squeezes prices

Any trade measures to try to reduce beef imports would hit China's largest suppliers, Brazil, Arg...


Read more Read more
Websolutions by Angular Software and SpiderClass