7 minute read
Up in arms at blatant bullying
GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA
For and on behalf of Stanfords
T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk
www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk
SHEEP AT RECORD PRICES
The cold spring at the beginning of April was not reflected within the livestock sale rings and auction markets; cattle and sheep numbers were at excellent levels, with sheep at record prices. This was totally unexpected in most people’s eyes, with the trade for old season lambs already at record levels, regularly trading over £150 per head and weight not an issue.
Considering that most restaurant outlets, including pubs, were still closed until 12 April, it will be interesting to see how, by the time this report is published, the trade has reflected the anticipated increase in catering sales. There is certainly a pent-up demand for quality British meat which is great to see for livestock producers, and long may it continue. Early spring lamb sales are also seeing an excellent demand, with lambs trading up to £180 per head and more desperately wanted by buyers who had an excellent Easter. Signs are good that with numbers tight, this trade will be maintained.
Prime cattle are also shorter than required in the live ring and more could easily be sold to advantage. Prices are forecast to increase over the next few months, with supplies being shorter than demand. This is all good news and proves the benefit of selling in the live markets, where trade has without doubt pushed the prices forward. With more vendors and buyers returning to the live ring, it is good to see the British public being served quality meat on an open basis. The cull sheep and beef trades are also excellent, at levels that have rarely been seen. Store cattle are meeting an excellent demand, with more vendors looking to replace their sold stock despite the high price of feed; there is some confidence within the beef and lamb industry at the moment.
It is still disappointing that the pig market has seen little uplift for some time, with dead prices increasing only very slowly. It is good, however, to see that the cull sow trade has increased substantially since the beginning of the year, although that would still be at levels well below 12 months ago. With pigs being fed mostly grain and this being at high cost levels, pigs are a very high cost product and certainly all producers need an uplift in the trade which is slowly coming forward.
The cold weather at the beginning of April and the lack of rain is putting some spring crops under some stress, but hopefully by the time this report is published we will have seen some warm rain and some good growing conditions.
It is a volatile livestock market at the moment but mostly moving in an upward direction. Let us hope this continues; with the saying “sell live to thrive” continuing to be in evidence.
THE NEW NORMAL?
We, as auctioneers, are as guilty as everyone else in farming when we use in our reports and discussions about the state of the current trade phrases such as “fantastic”, “exceptional”, “sensational” and “unbelievable”. As good as
PETER KINGWILL
T: 01233 502222
www.hobbsparker.co.uk
No wonder the bio-tech companies are rushing headlong to produce protein in a petri dish.
Quality British beef and lamb can stand on its own maintaining and meeting any of the standards that consumers want and demand. Those farmers
they obviously are, it is time we looked at these prices in a diff erent light. We have never seen this current level of prices, and even in relative terms over the period since the war there have been few moments to compare.
Rather than talking about how exceptional current prices are, I think we should be regarding them as the new ‘normal’ and getting consumers, retailers and politicians accustomed to this level of price at the producer level.
After all, although Covid-19 has had an impact on demand and consumer habits by reconnecting the consumer with cooking at home and allowing them to recognise the importance of the quality and the provenance of all their raw materials, it is also fuelled by the decline in supply nationally of products such as beef and lamb.
Why is national production of farmed product in such decline? It is largely down to the fact that for far too long producers have been working for far too little, with margins squeezed and squeezed to the point where they have rightly questioned their future and the future of their sector. This is the consequence of a retail sector that is too much about the short term, utilising their commercial strength to drive down farm prices to protect their own margins rather than looking at the long term viability of their farming partners who they ought to be trying to sustain, not just in the present but also into the short, medium and long term.
Beef, sheep and dairy farmers work in a very diff erent world to the industrialized sector of pork and chicken, with massive variables created by both climate and terrain. Rightly proud of their sector and their products, they have seen the consumer give them the stamp of approval in recognition of their excellence and an acceptance of the price that needs to be charged for a premium home-produced product.
Cheaper protein will exist and, sadly, industrial pork and chicken is rapidly moving towards a position of cheapness and convenience, able to carry the fl avour from other sources but barely able to stand alone as a quality product. producing this product must, however, be well rewarded for their time, their eff ort, their commitment and their continued investment into family futures and business development.
Less of me this month banging on about the threats of big business to our great industry. It gets me into trouble with some, which perhaps suggests that I am a little closer to the truth than many would like to admit.
Let’s now have a reminder of some of those normal, regular, run of the mill prices that we have seen over the last few weeks. Hoggets to £183 per head and 400p/kg from Tom Husk, Dover; Spring lamb to £167 and 428p/kg from Katie Tucker, Pulborough and ewes to £202 from Tom Husk. Finished steers to 246p/ kg W Alexander, Sevenoaks and £1,674 from Luke Colbourne, Dorking, with fi nished heifers to 257p/kg and £1694 from Shaun Marsh, Dover.
Cull beef cows to 232p/kg from Vexour Pedigree Herds, Edenbridge and £1,664 from Highfi elds Park, Hartfi eld, with dairy cows to £1,303 from Appleton Farms (Ledger Farms), Deal. Yearling continental (Limousin cross) steers to £1,465 from L E Humphreys & Sons, Maidstone and heifers to £1,245 from A J Bray, Faversham.
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Dairy farmers are fi nding it increasingly diffi cult to recruit staff , with some producers thinking of leaving the industry because of the shrinking workforce.
A survey conducted by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) found 63% of farmers had struggled to recruit in the past fi ve years, up from 51% in 2016 and 40% in 2014. Four out of fi ve respondents said staff recruitment worried them and almost a third said they would consider leaving the industry because of it.
Employers say unsocial working hours and not enough people being interested in dairy farming were two of the main reasons for people not wanting to work on dairy farms, with 28% saying staff had left because of unsociable working hours.
The Government has rejected calls for dairy workers to be included on the Migration Advisory Committee’s Shortage Occupation List or named as skilled workers.
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