NFU Says EBLEX Report Shows Boost For Sheep Sector

The NFU has said the Eblex business pointers report for sheep illustrates a step in the right direction after it showed improved production cost performance.

Provisional headline sheep figures from the 2009 EBLEX Business Pointers report, ahead of the full publication in October, reveal that top third lowland sheep producers are investing 1.48 per kg (liveweight), LFA sheep flock top third costs of production stand at 1.66 per kg and costs are 1.30 per kg for the top third of store lamb finishers.

NFU livestock board chairman Alistair Mackintosh called the figures a much-needed confidence boost within the sheep sector but added that the recent exchange rate had also played a role in the recent upturn.

He said: The report is good news but we must now look to further develop our European markets that we have developed as a result of the situation with currency and look to develop new outlets for UK produced sheep meat. It is important that we see stability within the industry which in turn leads to improved confidence and encourages producers to keep supplying our quality product.

Producers have listened to market signals and have played their part in developing an efficient supply chain by improving the physical performance of their flocks but now is the time to look at making further savings within their farm business. There are challenges ahead, such as sheep EID, but we will be better placed to deal with these if the market can remain buoyant and our businesses stay efficient.

British farmers are ideally placed to supply fresh, quality lamb and we would like to see all retailers recognise this and source British lamb throughout the year. For consumers we say look out for the Red Tractor logo to know the lamb has been reared to farm assurance standards.