16/01/06
English hogget producers are advised to learn the lessons of
last year and sell their old season lambs as soon as they reach
the right level of finish for the market rather than being tempted
to hold on to them too long in search of better prices.
This is the timely warning from the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX)
following the serious deterioration in 2005 carcase quality and market returns
highlighted in its detailed analysis of first quarter classification and pricing
data for the past two years.
The analysis shows lamb prices across the country remaining exceptionally
flat from January to March 2005 as well as averaging over 24p/kg
deadweight less than the previous year; the differential rising
from under 10p/kg in January to more than 30p/kg in February and
March.
At the same time, the proportion of lambs
slaughtered at 3H or fatter in 2005 was an average of nearly
2% higher than 2004 - representing
an additional 32,800 lambs marketed outside the target specification
in England.
EBLEX advises that producers should be cautious of incurring unnecessary
price penalties for clearly over-fat carcases falling outside normal
spec, especially if in the first quarter the market mirrors the
2005 trend of generally lower overall market prices.
Many hogget producers who delayed marketing in the face of poor
early season prices last year, therefore, merely served to reduce
their returns still further by producing increasingly out-of-specification
lambs. At the same time, the greater number of over-fat lambs themselves
contributed to a lowering of average prices, creating a vicious
circle.
To guard against similar problems this season,
EBLEX advises store lamb finishers to sell stock as soon as they meet the required
specification - E,U,R carcases of fat class
2-3L of 17-21kg for the UK and 12-19kg for export - target
your market and select lambs for slaughter through regular handling
and ensuring they are clean. Detailed production guidance is available
in the Lamb Action for Profit resource at www.eblex.org.uk or from the
new BRP Target Lamb Production Manual available from Tel: 0870 2418829
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