EC says lamb prices to steady

THE EC Advisory Group on Sheep and Goat Meat has forecasted that EU lamb prices will stay firm over the next year. Irish prices have moved 12% ahead this year, and the advisory group forecasts 2012 prices to fall back just 3% compared to 2011 for the whole EU, and by 4% in Ireland (20c/kg).

Since 2007, the EU’s largest national sheep flocks, in Britain and Spain, have declined sharply, by 10% and 17% respectively. With the exception of Romania, numbers declined in all major EU sheep producing countries from 2007 to 2010. There has also been reduced lamb availability in New Zealand, which supplies 86% of sheep and goat meat imported into the EU. Increased exports of sheep and goat meat and live animals from the EU to third country markets have also affected the EU market.