Scottish lamb slow to hit shelves

The poor spring weather and lack of grass earlier in the year has been holding Scottish new season lambs back from the market, with volumes considerably lower than last year.

However, despite a recent dip, the delayed trade is still benefiting from prices 10 per cent higher on the year according to Quality Meat Scotland director of economic services, Stuart Ashworth.

“Weather conditions have also contributed to the volume of hoggs on the market continuing at a higher rate than last year and they, similarly, are benefiting from firm prices,” said Ashworth.

He said the timing of the Muslim Ramadan festival – which began on 17 May and continues until 15 June – also tended to provide support for sheep meat at both the start and end of the festival period.

0 Long-term lamb prospects ‘robust’ says Stuart Ashworth

Ashworth said that although sheepmeat prices had eased slightly now that the festival had started, he said they could see some uplift again in the week before the conclusion of the festival.

However, he added that while short-term influences were important to the trade, the medium-term prospects for the current lamb crop were “robust”.

“The legacy of the spring weather conditions will inevitably be a reduced lamb crop and a tighter supply of prime sheep,” said Ashworth who added that reduced availability of lamb from New Zealand was likely to be another favourable factor.

He also pointed out that exports of sheepmeat from the UK were 12 per cent higher over the past year – and while this was good news, it served to highlight just how vulnerable the trade was to exchange rates which were currently ebbing and flowing in line with the Brexit negotiations.