Recently in sheep meat Category

Higher margins can be earned by Less Favoured Area sheep producers who
concentrate on achieving better physical performance, which is the biggest driver of better results, says EBLEX.

Net margins for LFA breeding flocks rose by nearly £4 a ewe to £7.80 a head in the year to the end of March 2011. Poorer performing flocks could significantly improve returns by lifting rates for lambs born and reared per 100 ewes, return per lamb sold finished and lamb weights.

However, producers still need to watch costs - there is a £5.83 a ewe difference in labour costs between top and bottom third producers, according to EBLEXs' Business Pointers report.

Business Pointers will shortly be replaced by a new free costings service called Stocktake, for which EBLEX is recruiting producers.

Global beef and sheep prices are likely to remain firm in 2012 as demand from emerging economies grows against a backdrop of generally tight supplies, according to the latest AHDB International Meat Market Review.

“Global beef prices continued to increase in 2011 with prices in major producing countries all ahead of last year. It is likely that firm prices will prevail through 2012,” said AHDB senior analyst Debbie Butcher.

But with some recovery of both beef and sheep numbers, it is possible that prices won’t quite reach the heights recorded during last year. A modest recovery in beef and veal production was predicted in 2012 and the firm prices were also likely to prompt some rebuilding of the global sheep flock, she said.

Sheep producers received a bigger share of the retail price for lamb in December 2011, but beef and pig farmers saw little change, according to AHDB’s latest UK Market Survey.

Strong export demand and tight supplies saw the average deadweight ex-farm price for lamb increase by 42p/kg in December compared with the month earlier. Over the same period the retail price declined slightly, so producers received almost 60% of the final retail price, up 6% on the month.

Overall during 2011 producers received 59% of the retail price, compared with 55% in 2010.

Beef producers received on average 54% of the final retail price during December, 1% down on the month, but 5% higher than December 2010. Pig producers saw a smaller improvement on the year (up 2%) and still receive a much lower share. The average ex-farm deadweight pig price equated to just 39% of the retail value in December.
 
 

Home produced beef and lamb are taking a bigger share of supermarket chiller cabinet space. The latest Eblex Beef and Lamb Watch survey, carried out in supermarkets during August 2011, showed 83% was British produce.

This is the highest level since the quarterly survey was started in its current form in August 2008. It also found that 56% of beef and 65% of lamb packs carried the Red Tractor assurance logo.

“There has been a consistent improvement in home sourcing of beef and we now look to see this commitment carry on into the future,” said Alistair Mackintosh, NFU livestock board chairman.

“We will remain vigilant on pack labelling including retailer support for the use of the Red Tractor logo, to ensure customers can continue to buy beef and lamb produced to leading standards of food safety and animal welfare.”

 

Maximising returns from beef and sheep is the aim of a new joint publication by EBLEX and the NFU.

‘A Farmer’s Guide to Selling Finished Beef and Sheep’ provides a checklist covering market requirements, assessing stock against market needs, monitoring prices and booking stock in correctly with abattoirs.

It also covers documentation, identification and ensuring stock is fit for intended purpose. The guide can be downloaded from www.eblex.org.uk, or request a hard copy by emailing admin@eblex.org.uk or telephoning 0870 241 8528.

 

Meat South West is calling on producers and others to back a bid for EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for beef and lamb from the West Country.

If approved by the European Commission, beef and lamb meeting certain criteria would be badged as West Country and promoted on the basis of the unique rearing environment associated with the region, says MSW.

Beef and lamb would have to be from stock born, raised and finished in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire or Wiltshire to qualify for West Country labelling under PGI and diets must be at least 70% forage.

The project is supported by EBLEX and producers and others have 12 weeks in which to respond to a consultation document at http://www.euprotectedfoodnames.org.uk/News/tabid/158/Default.aspx . Comments should be sent to Irene Bocchetta ADAS, Woodthorne, Wergs Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 8TQ, or email Irene.Bocchetta@adas.co.uk
 

It seems British lamb producers are getting better at meeting the carcase specification required by major buyers.

EBLEX’s annual carcase classification survey sampled 121,000 lambs slaughtered in British abattoirs last year and found 58% met the R3L or better target, up 5% on the 53% five years ago.

But there remained a gap between old and new season lambs, despite some improvement across both types since 2005. Some 59% of new season lambs and 52% of old season lambs hit the target last year.

“While conformation improvement is a long-term business, it is clear that this needs to be a particular priority for the old season sector,” EBLEX said.

Good news if you like facts and figures about the red meat industry - EBLEX’s weekly market reports are now available free through its website.

Previously the UK Market Survey and EU Market Survey had only been available by paid subscription to beef, sheep and pig industry, levy payers.

EBLEX says that making the publications more accessible to producers, processors and retailers alike is part of ongoing work to add value to the beef and sheep industry and ensure up-to-date information is available to help make business decisions.

Go to www.eblex.org.uk/markets/ and click on UK & EU Market Surveys to request a copy.

Farmers in New Zealand are more confident about their businesses than for several years, according to a Rabobank survey, with sheep and beef producer confidence at a 10 year high.

The latest survey, taken late last month, shows that slightly more than half of New Zealand farmers expect the agricultural economy to improve over the next 12 months, significantly up from 29% with that view just three months earlier.

Higher commodity prices and improving global economies are the reasons behind the change of sentiment, with record high lamb prices, low numbers and improved beef prices too.

More than a third were expecting to invest more in their farms, while 86% expected the price of their land to stay the same or increase over the coming 12 months. The survey interviews a panel of about 450 farmers each quarter.

 

Producers who want to supply the London 2012 Olympic Games and companies which win Olympic contracts need to register on CompeteFor

The games will be Red Tractor Assured and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games is expected to announce shortly which firms have won catering contracts, says BPEX.

LOCOG uses CompeteFor as a brokerage service to match buyers with potential suppliers and to enable businesses to compete for contract opportunities linked to the games and other large public and private sector buying organisations. Registration is free.