This is the view of EBLEX selection specialist Steve Powdrill, based on feedback from abattoirs.
“Many of this season’s lambs had a poor start in life, as they were born into a cold environment to ewes who struggled to produce sufficient milk due to the lack of available grass,” he said
“As a result, abattoirs are seeing a large number of lambs coming forward that haven’t finished well off grass and are achieving a low killing out percentages and failing to meet target specification.
“There are a number of reasons why producers may be keen to get these lambs off the farm quickly, however, by not investigating finishing options such as using supplementary feed, they are failing to achieve the best possible return.”
This trend towards under-finished lambs appears to be borne out by September data from GB auction markets, which shows a significant increase in lambs falling into the lower weight bands, according to EBLEX/AHDB senior analyst Paul Heyhoe.
“The number of lambs in the light (25.5 kilogram to 32 kilogram) weight band was 20 per cent higher on the year while superlight (17 kilogram to 25.4 kilogram) numbers were a massive 76 per cent higher, suggesting that many of these lambs weren’t finished,” he said.
“This seems to be having a detrimental effect on the trade in general, with average prices during September some three pence per kilogram (liveweight) below year earlier levels and average prices for lambs in lighter categories feeling a disproportionately negative impact.”
However, Steve cautions against using weight alone as a measure of whether lambs as a guideline of when to market lambs.
“While it’s vital that producers ensure that lambs are finished before marketing them, it’s equally important to ensure they do not become over-fat,” he said
“The EBLEX Better Returns Programme offers a range of free resources for producers who want further information about ensuring stock achieve target specifications.
“Live to Dead events take place all around England provide producers with the opportunity to handle live animals and make an assessment of fat cover and conformation, before seeing the same animals in the chillers along with their actual classification.
“Further information is also available in the EBLEX BRP manual, Marketing Prime Lambs for Better Returns, which is available to download from www.eblex.org.uk/returns.”