Deadline is set for light lamb scheme
Deadline is set for light lamb scheme
SHEEP producers have until Oct 26 to take advantage of the governments light lamb scheme, before it closes, says the Intervention Board.
Farmers who want lambs to be slaughtered under the scheme must contact an abattoir before then, although lambs can be killed until the end of the year as long as an application has been made.
Since it came into operation on Sept 3, 250,000 lambs have been bought up by the government for £10 each. It was designed to soak up nearly 1m light lambs that would normally be exported to European markets.
Jane Connor, the Meat and Livestock Commissions chief sheep economist, refused to speculate whether the scheme was on target.
Its uptake has never been easy to judge, she says. "But for some producers it is their only option." The deadline might force producers hand, she adds. *