Supply of sheep meat may increase
The British breeding flock is expected to show little change from 2004 as numbers remain stable at 16.3 million head, almost 20% less than the flock size during the early nineties.
The Meat and Livestock Commission expects that lamb slaughterings for 2005 will show an increase of about 2% resulting from an improved lambing rate.
This is due to lambs being in better condition at tupping and an expected lower demand on this year’s lamb flock for ewe replacements because of the stable trend in the flock.
The yield is expected to be broadly similar to last year at around 302,000 tonnes. The amount of sheep-meat imported showed an increase in 2004, within which there was a further rise in the proportion of chilled lamb.
Estimates are that chilled lamb accounted for up to 25% of imports, with up to half the supply coming from New Zealand, which accounted for 74% of the imported product last year and the forecast is that New Zealand imports will increase this year.
Lamb supplies from Britain on to the export market are predicted to remain stable at similar volumes to 2004, because of the weak trade in France and the slightly stronger sterling. It is expected that exports volume will amount to around 76,000 tonnes, with three quarters of the exports going to the French market, about 8% to Belgium, 5% to Germany and 3% to Italy.
The pattern of lamb supply in the UK shows that almost one third of the output for the year came in the final quarter, with supply up on 2003.
