More lambs hit carcass spec for information exchange group

Sharing ideas, problems and solutions for 15 years has helped a group of Welsh lamb producers improve performance across their sheep systems.

The farmers are all members of a Farming Connect discussion group where they are supported by independent sheep consultant Lesley Stubbings and lamb processor Dunbia.

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The discussion group meetings, and the contact they have with one another in between, have not only been a springboard to improving performance, but have also facilitated an opportunity to build long-term business relationships.

The progress they have made in lifting performance has been significant, as data collated by Dunbia shows.

Since 2022, the group overall has achieved a 5.4% improvement in lambs hitting specification, with two farms lifting that gain by more than 9% in 2024-25, compared with 2022-23.

Benefits of sharing information

As well as exchanging practical information, experience and ideas, and receiving advice from Lesley, and data and feedback from Dunbia, the financial and physical performance of each sheep enterprise is monitored.

As trust builds among the members, there is a willingness to share that sensitive information.

“One of the strengths of this group is that they know each other so well,” says Lesley.

Discussion group members, from the left: Owain Jones, Alan Jones, Sion Jenkins, Anwen Hughes, Leisia Tudor (Dunbia), Peredur Owen, Sion Evans, and Danny Jones © Debbie James

“At meetings, everyone shares what has gone well and what hasn’t.

“A farmer might think they have a major issue and be reluctant to share it, but when they do and realise that others have the same issue, it becomes more manageable for them, and they feel less isolated.”

Discussion groups create competition too. “There is a very positive, friendly, competitive element when you have a group scenario,” she points out.

By focusing on some key areas, improvements in performance have been achieved by the group members, as Lesley explains.

Body condition score

When the group first formed, its members did not actively use body condition score (BCS), but it is now second nature to them.

“They are aware they need to hit BCS targets, and that if they don’t, things won’t be as they should be,” she says.

Historically, one or two had bad experiences with liver fluke, and they understand this will knock them off course as far as BCS is concerned, she adds.

“We are using testing and monitoring to establish if and when to treat.”

Many health issues in livestock farming come back to body condition, so when farmers know there is an issue that impacts on this, they are much more alive to doing something about it.

Forage analysis and feeding strategies

These farmers might have once made their forage, bought their concentrates and fed the same amount, year in, year out, without any knowledge of their forage quality.

“Since we started analysing forages, they understand the potential value of good-quality forage,” she says.

She adds that in some cases, group members are making extremely good silage – for example, with metabolisable energy (ME) of more than 11MJ/kg dry matter (DM) in 2025.

“An analysis like this will require just a small amount of a very specific supplement to be fed.”

“On most of the farms, we have been able to improve results while reducing the quantity of supplement quite dramatically, at the same time increasing its quality and matching the formulation more accurately to the forage available.”

Responsible use of medicines

Some of the farmers in the discussion group were using treatments routinely, such as liver fluke, without necessarily knowing if they had a problem.

“By testing, they now use those interventions to maximum effect, at the right time, and for the right reasons.

“They no longer just do what they have always done in the hope that it will work,” says Lesley. “They know that, particularly with parasites, that just doesn’t cut it.

“And they know that if they are unsure if they should be treating, they can pick up the phone to me at any time and check.

“Having that backstop of somebody that they trust means they don’t just go for what they believe to be the safest option,” she explains.

Use of data to inform decisions

Data provided by Dunbia gives the farmers a good handle on their productivity. That feedback on what the carcasses look like and their marketing patterns is extremely useful.

The farmers know what the gross margins of their flocks are, and what their physical performance is.

“This means, when we talk about spending money on an abortion vaccine, for example, they can see the immediate benefit from it if it stops them losing potential in their lamb sales,” says Lesley.

Lamb selection criteria

The farmers go into the abattoir in Llanybydder to see the carcasses and receive feedback.

Data is then fed back to them on how many of their lambs are hitting the target, how many are not – and, potentially, how much that is costing them.

“We sometimes hear the industry complain that farmers are price takers, that they have to accept the price on the day, but this work shows it is not always the case,” she points out.

“When a lamb producer is selling on a grid payment system, and they have carcasses not making the grade, that is the reason their lambs are being devalued and why they are not getting paid what they had hoped for.”

The discussion group members know they have to hit the top grades with as high a percentage of their carcasses as they can, she adds.

Leisia Tudor, agriculture manager at the Dunbia Group, says while these farmers have been continuously improving over the past 15 years, the uplift in performance more recently shows there is always merit in looking to keep on progressing.

“This group demonstrates that if you improve your animal health, test your forage and focus on overall flock efficiency, it has a positive impact on the returns received for your lambs.”