Livestock Business News

A trade mission led by AHDB is set to showcase British red meat to buyers from Asia, the Middle East and North America, who will meet with farmers and UK exporters at the Great Yorkshire Show to discuss potential business opportunities.

Following feedback from 46 producers, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has urged the government to address the escalating labour situation in the sector in its latest submission of evidence to the Migration Advisory Council (MAC).

Having confirmed payments for last year’s wool clip, British Wool acknowledged the prices will be disappointing to members and said the organisation is doing everything it can to navigate what is currently a ‘very challenging environment’ for raw material suppliers.

Latest throughput figures released this week by the Livestock Auctioneers’ Association (LAA) show that more farmers across England and Wales are favouring the live sales ring to secure the true value of their livestock, with margins under greater pressure from increased production costs.

Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could open up further avenues for UK pork exports heading to Mexico, with Latin America and the trans-Pacific region also on the horizon as possible export destinations.

Latest figures from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) have revealed prime cattle prices reached record high levels at Scottish abattoirs in February, despite the trend being a reduction in prices for this time of year.

The latest round of the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) offers grant funding for a range of equipment, including mobile sheep handling and herd monitoring systems, with MSD Animal Health also offering support to improve flock productivity.

Sheep farmers could soon see a fair price being paid for their wool if the wider horticulture industry is to adapt the revolutionary practice of Gwinllan Conwy vineyard, where sheep fleeces are being used to ripen grapes more fully and create higher quality wines.

The value of UK red meat exports has reached record levels in 2022, amounting to a staggering £1.7 billion, partly due to the rising prices of meat throughout last year.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a significant rise in input costs for both the livestock and arable sectors in the UK, hitting livestock gross margins particularly hard due to the high cost of feed, the new Farm Management Handbook shows.

At the award-winning Trefnant Hall Farm, making the most of every sward is the priority for creating a profitable beef and sheep enterprise.

Recent proposals to plug the industry’s workforce gap with prisoners and ex-offenders, should not be seen as a “quick fix”, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has said.