[daveh]

Several friends have asked if I will sell them a half lamb from my Cotswolds. I did intend to send them to market in the near future but could send them to the abattoir instead. What price are folks asking for a half lamb butchered and ready for the freezer?

Regards, David

[Backinwellies]

Last autumn  sold our at about £9 /Kg  (not vacuum packed ) .  Lots of previous threads on this

[Kimbo]

weve talked about this before and there is a huge regional variation in price.
In April I paid £42 for half a Ryeland lamb butchered into a variety of cuts but that is apparently terribly cheap. I just heard today that a neighbour is selling whole ( mule ) lambs already butchered for £110.
this is South Lancashire

[Bramblecot]

Whatever your friends are prepared to pay for quality meat with known provenance .  I charge £50 a half but my neighbour (who obviously has friends with more money) charges £70-80.  Bagged  into joints but not vac-packed.  Worth trying and interesting to get feedback on the meat you produce.

[Me]

Its worth say £50 in the market (lets saaay 50 anyway), £31 to cut and vac pac, £10 fuel to drop off another £10 to collect. I'd say £50 a half only covers these costs if you are lucky with nothing for your time so at £50 you are doing people a favour - unless its a crap little scraggly thing!

[Kimbo]

£31 to cut and vac pack?

Our abbatoir kills, butchers into a variety of cuts , OK just bagged, not Vac-Packed but they charge £25 a sheep! And as they are 4 miles from me I couldn't for shame charge £20 for deisel

[Backinwellies]

Vac pack cost about £8 a sheep so £31 about right.

Please don't under sell ..... doesn't do the trade or your business any good ( don't forget how much it has cost to rear the lambs (and feed their mothers)

I have quoted this website before ....

http://www.meat-prices.co.uk/ which give up to date prices ..... and yes my £9 / kg is still about right for non-vac pac.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

When we have lleyn lambs butchered we sell them at £60 a half lamb that includes chops and I always have the joints halved, so that if people want to roast them they dont have to roast a full piece. The lamb chops are always a lot bigger than the supermarket ones and are always grass reared. I slaughtered 4 lambs last year, two lleyns a cross which was charrolais x lleyn, that was the mum the lambs dad was also a lleyn, the lamb was huge but tasted average. The other lamb was a welsh x lleyn, the best of the whole lot and big too. All grass reared.

[devonlady]

£31 to cut and vac pack?

Our abbatoir kills, butchers into a variety of cuts , OK just bagged, not Vac-Packed but they charge £25 a sheep! And as they are 4 miles from me I couldn't for shame charge £20 for deisel

The butcher I use charges £12-50 to cut up and vac pack my lambs!! Also £12-50 at the abbatoir

[Womble]

So we know that lamb prices are down this year. Do you think that we should be reducing our 'in a box' prices too, or should they be able to stay the same year on year as our costs haven't changed?

Obviously it's supply and demand etc, but I've already had somebody allude that I should be selling at a bargain price this year, and this is the first year we'll be selling any anyway!

[nutterly_uts]

So we know that lamb prices are down this year. Do you think that we should be reducing our 'in a box' prices too, or should they be able to stay the same year on year as our costs haven't changed?

Obviously it's supply and demand etc, but I've already had somebody allude that I should be selling at a bargain price this year, and this is the first year we'll be selling any anyway!

Don't drop prices imo - the value of and work put into your product hasn't dropped. I'd expect prices to remain fairly stable even if supermarket prices don't.

If someone doesn't want to pay that price, then let them walk away

[farmers wife]

I dont take into consideration lamb prices thats silly.  As retail is still high so buyers are not paying knocked down prices. Going low is what has damaged the UK market if you sell quality lamb then you sell at quality prices. The prices at market are irrelevant.  Tell people to go else where if they start dictating prices to you.  Your costs in raising, cutting, transport etc.  Min £60 for half.   I think 6 yrs ago we were selling loads around £70 per half.

[DavidandCollette]

I sell half lambs at £7 a kilo on North Lincolnshire

[ScotsGirl]

People are paying for traceability, locally produced, good welfare.... Definitely don't sell cheap. £50-75 for half depending on size and I sell a whole lamb butchered for £130 now (not vac packed). Costs are £28.50 at abattoir, a bit for petrol but still better return than taking to market and you know they have not had the added stress of going through market being poked and prodded before crammed onto a lorry for final trip.

[Womble]

I dont take into consideration lamb prices thats silly.

Yes, I told them that until Tesco lowers their selling prices, neither will I.  I think it was just somebody who had watched Countryfile and now thought they know everything there is to know about sheep TBH  .