Farms must support abattoirs

7 December 2001




Farms must support abattoirs

SHEEP producers must support abattoirs/processors which are investing in improving technical efficiency and developing innovative lamb products for consumers, according to Adam Quinney.

"Many abattoirs are desperately underfunded and need government help. There is a danger that abattoirs which have invested in developing new lamb markets will find themselves most financially exposed. Yet these are needed to take the industry forward."

Taking more interest in what happens to lamb beyond the farm gate is essential, believes Mr Quinney. "Ask whether the abattoir taking your lambs is meeting consumer requirements and if not, why not. Where there is a choice of supplying abattoir A which develops innovative products or abattoir B which doesnt, be more interested in supplying A, because it is giving you a future."

As well as product development, processing capacity is also important, says Mr Quinney. "To compete, we need efficient modern sheep plants which can process 30,000 lambs a week. Would you rather supply the Longbridge or Nissan-equivalent plants of the sheep industry?"

Unfortunately, lamb profitability has been low, even for abattoirs, leaving little to invest, according to Mr Quinney.

"We need government support for efficient, high capacity abattoirs. Reverting to small abattoirs is a nonsense. Before foot-and-mouth, one-third of British lamb was exported. Any other industry exporting at this level would have won the Queens Award for Exports."

Mr Quinneys lambs are marketed via the Cotswold Sheep Group, finding their way into Somerfield stores under the brand, Cotswold Quality Lamb, or to Farmers Freshs Warks-based abattoir. Before F&M, most Farmers Fresh lambs were exported.

"I chose these outlets because both add value to my lambs, not just through increasing price, but also market share."

However, marketing is only part of the answer and must be backed by technical efficiency at all levels of the food-chain, he believes. "DEFRA is currently obsessed with marketing as the answer to the industrys problems.

"However, unless profitability returns, there will be no confidence to invest in technical improvements necessary to reduce costs and sustain British lamb production. We need a 30% increase in lamb prices to make lowland sheep production worthwhile." &#42


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