Farmers fear a 40 per cent rise in meat imports from New Zealand – priced more than a fifth cheaper than home-produced lamb – could put them out of business.
A new trade agreement between the two countries allows for the sale of 35,000 more tons of New Zealand lamb over the next four-years, and then all import restrictions will be lifted after 15 years.
UK farmers say they will suffer, with shoppers already shunning British lamb because it costs significantly more than Kiwi meat – even though it has to be transported almost 12,000 miles to get here.
Welsh pub owner Sian Shepphard is just one of many who says she has been forced to switch to New Zealand lamb – saying Welsh lamb is ’34 per cent more expensive’.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan is the International Trade Secretary. Minette Batters, president of National Farmers Union, said that the deal could ‘damage the viability many British farms in years ahead, to detriment the public, who wants more British food on their shelves and to detriment our rural communities and cherished farm landscapes’.
Farmers fear a 40 per cent rise in meat imports from New Zealand – priced more than a fifth cheaper than home-produced lamb – could put them out of business (stock)
Wyn Evans, a Welsh farmer, claims that the deal is biased to New Zealand. The UK has little opportunity to export as New Zealand exports nearly 50 tons of lamb meat for every one ton it consumes.
Sainsbury’s shelves are a vivid example of the dire situation faced by British lamb producers.
Two options are available if you’re looking for a leg or lamb. Both British and New Zealand fresh meat is priced at £11 per kg. However, a frozen leg – only from New Zealand – comes in at £8.57 per kg.
The £5.58 difference for a typical 2.3kg leg is surprising given shipping costs have increased fivefold over the past 12 months. New Zealand’s lamb is also cheaper despite its farmers not getting subsidies – whereas UK farmers (with 22.5 million sheep, three per cent of the global total) – receive £3 billion.
UK farmers are also concerned that the Kiwis will be engaging in an export war with Australia, lowering prices and further harming our sheep meat industry.
Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers Union, said that the deal could damage the viability and future success of many British farms. This would be detrimental to the public who want more British food, as well the rural communities and their cherished farmed areas.
With 39 million sheep in New Zealand – around seven for every human – and a population density of 18 people per square kilometre, compared with 276 in England, sheep farmers in lush grassland areas such as Wairarapa, North Island, have an in-built advantage. Many of the regulatory burdens imposed by Brussels, which increase the cost of producing meat, are still in place here despite Brexit.
Richard Findlay, chairman NFU livestock board, stated that New Zealand’s lamb production costs are around 63% lower than the cost in the US.
This is largely due to the lower regulatory burdens New Zealand faces and the greater investment made by government and industry in innovation and technology.
‘Crucially they also have a properly-resourced export strategy with agricultural trade counselors based in target market.
A frequent complaint of UK farmers has been the mountain of paperwork for moving sheep – based on rules set by Brussels that require every detail put on a database.
New Zealand’s National Flock Recording Scheme, by comparison, improves yield and measures the performance of ewes, so that the best can be chosen for breeding.
New Zealand farms are much larger than those in the UK because of all the extra space. One in Wairere on North Island has a flock of 7,000 sheep – compared with the average 460 for a British farm. Only four shepherds care for the 7,000 animals.
To make efficient use the grass, sheep are rotated between 90-30-acre neighbouring paddocks. In Britain, sheep are moved on expensive lorries.
Donald Trump may have enjoyed his saddle of Windsor lamb at a state banquet in London in 2019 but British sheep farmers fear that fewer foreigners – and more worryingly, fewer British families – will buy their produce in future.