Record-breaking lamb trade hits peak but stays above £8/kg
The spike in demand for lamb from Easter and Ramadan may be passing, with Eid al Fitr ending proceedings on 10 April. However, deadweight lamb prices have continued to hold strong, with tight supplies carrying the trade.
Deadweight lambs averaged 829.5p/kg this week, back from the March peak of 838.8p/kg, but by historic standards the lamb trade remains incredibly firm, with prices up 224p/kg on year-earlier levels.
Jonny Williams, joint operations director of marketing co-operative Farmstock Scotland, said the lamb trade is very volatile but is being driven by an emerging shortage of hoggs.
See also: Soaring lamb trade reaches new record high of £8/kg
“We’ve got massive demand from the Continent for exports of UK lamb, so we’ve seen these huge prices never seen before.
“Instinctively, you think wow, this is great for the industry, but obviously you need to see what’s going to happen in the long term to see what the implications are for the next lamb crop,” he said.
Charlie Reeve | Farmers Weekly
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