UK: GB lamb prices rumble on, culls strengthening

GB lamb prices have largely moved sideways since the beginning of the year, weaving close to five-year average levels, but remaining pressured versus a year ago. For some headline figures, the liveweight OSL SQQ averaged 234.25p/kg in February, down 29p year-on-year, while the equivalent deadweight measure stood 74p lower at 506p/kg. More lambs are estimated to have come forwards for slaughter during the first ten weeks of the year than the same period in 2022. This aligns with our expectation of a larger carry-over of hoggets, following slower kill in the second half of last year. An estimated 2.2 million lambs have been processed in GB during the first ten weeks of 2023, 6% (125,000 head) more than the same period a year ago. Domestic retail demand remains sluggish. The most recent Kantar data (12 weeks to 19 February) shows the total quantity of lamb sold via retail was 6% lower versus a year ago. It should be noted that this data does include the uplift in sales recorded ...