Lamb prices lowest for three years

New figures from The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) show that farmers are losing on average £29 for every lamb they sell at market, farm-gate prices having dropped by almost a fifth in the past year.

With lamb prices at their lowest for three years, the NFU points out that the situation for farmers has been made worse by rising production costs due to the extreme weather in 2012.

In addition, impacts from the new lamb-deforming disease Schmallenberg are also being felt with the Spring lamb season about to get underway.

The NFU is therefore calling for retailers to demonstrate genuine commitment to their British suppliers and customers, after a 22% fall in the farm-gate lamb price has resulted in an increase in price on the supermarket shelves.