The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Susannah on March 26, 2013, 10:51:24 am

Title: How much to charge
Post by: Susannah on March 26, 2013, 10:51:24 am
Advice please. I have someone interested in buying four of my Hebridean ewes once they have gained conditioning after lambing. They are three and four year olds. They are being sold for butchering not breeding.
I think they will collect them. Do I charge per ewe or by weight once slaughtered and how much? They are certified organic (the livestock is a necessary sideline to the veggies!) Any guidance appreciated. Thank you.
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Rosemary on March 26, 2013, 11:31:19 am
No idea about price and it may not be of any interest to you but do you know how they will be slaughtered? I've been approached to sell lambs for slaughter and I know it will be halal slaughter so I have always said no.
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Fleecewife on March 26, 2013, 11:34:16 am
No idea about price and it may not be of any interest to you but do you know how they will be slaughtered? I've been approached to sell lambs for slaughter and I know it will be halal slaughter so I have always said no.

Ditto
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: SteveHants on March 26, 2013, 12:29:15 pm
Your local mart should have cull ewe values.


The vast majority of Halal slaughter is now pre-stun. Kosher slaughter, however cannot be pre-stun. I'd be happy to sell my ewes for Halal but I wouldn't like knowing they were to be Kosher. this, of course is controversial because it seems OK to criticise islamic practices, but of course nobody mentions Kosher.


Islam, in general seems quite flexible in its approcahes - we used to halal slaughter fish at my last place and the approach to this was decided by the imam. 
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: SallyintNorth on March 26, 2013, 01:58:18 pm
Years ago I had a friend who was an Environmental Health Officer.  He said that Kosher slaughter was very very quick and sure; there is a rule that if any matter adheres to the knife then the whole carcase isn't kosher and must be discarded - so the knives are very very sharp and the deed is very very quick.

At that time, he felt that Halal slaughter was less humane, in that knives were not always so sharp and therefore things were not so swift.  Since then, there has been a whole lot more legislation, and all abbatoirs have to pay for a qualified veterinary officer to oversee the handling of livestock.

All abbatoirs, whether Halal, Kosher or mainstream, are subject to the same policing and welfare standards.  Therefore we should, these days, be able to be confident that any animal slaughtered in these Isles will be handled and slaughtered humanely.

Of more concern is the number of ewes and lambs which are sold through our marts and leave the country on boats bound for who knows where and what level - or lack of - humanity in the slaughter that is their eventual end. :'(
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: SheepCrazy! on March 26, 2013, 02:04:00 pm


Well said SallyintheNorth.

I've had some experience of people phoning me to buy my Soay tup lambs for Halal, Kosher thats always huge NO from me.

 Susannah I'd look online for market prices of cull ewes and compare them and ask abit more you can always come down as people generally barter! Good Luck
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: SteveHants on March 26, 2013, 02:43:21 pm
Years ago I had a friend who was an Environmental Health Officer.  He said that Kosher slaughter was very very quick and sure; there is a rule that if any matter adheres to the knife then the whole carcase isn't kosher and must be discarded - so the knives are very very sharp and the deed is very very quick.

At that time, he felt that Halal slaughter was less humane, in that knives were not always so sharp and therefore things were not so swift.  Since then, there has been a whole lot more legislation, and all abbatoirs have to pay for a qualified veterinary officer to oversee the handling of livestock.

All abbatoirs, whether Halal, Kosher or mainstream, are subject to the same policing and welfare standards.  Therefore we should, these days, be able to be confident that any animal slaughtered in these Isles will be handled and slaughtered humanely.

Of more concern is the number of ewes and lambs which are sold through our marts and leave the country on boats bound for who knows where and what level - or lack of - humanity in the slaughter that is their eventual end. :'(


My neighbour used to work in a big abbotoir and he reckoned they were both pretty similar - this was years ago, and all the reading I have done suggests that most muslims are happy with pre-stun and the number of non-stun halal abbotoirs is very small, whereas no kosher meat can be pre-stun.
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: moony on March 26, 2013, 03:54:52 pm
Heb cull ewes would be £25 or so at most.
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Susannah on March 26, 2013, 05:11:52 pm
Oh dear, I don't think I worded it right! They are fellow farming friends that are interested and they have their own butchery! It's was just when they asked me how much I wanted for them I didn't want to say "I don't know"
I would never let any of my animals go anywhere I didn't know how they would be treated or what would happen to them.
Thank you for the replies though. (Fleecewife- they are not the same butchers that did my last sheep!)
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Fleecewife on March 26, 2013, 06:13:26 pm

 (Fleecewife- they are not the same butchers that did my last sheep!)

 ;D :thumbsup: :wave:
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Rosemary on March 26, 2013, 07:43:16 pm
Oh dear, I don't think I worded it right! They are fellow farming friends that are interested and they have their own butchery! It's was just when they asked me how much I wanted for them I didn't want to say "I don't know"
I would never let any of my animals go anywhere I didn't know how they would be treated or what would happen to them.
Thank you for the replies though. (Fleecewife- they are not the same butchers that did my last sheep!)

Oops, sorry  ;)
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: SteveHants on March 26, 2013, 08:55:05 pm
Heb cull ewes would be £25 or so at most.


I've seen the odd pen at mart - £10ish usually, but had I got Hebs, mart would be the last place I'd take them.
Title: Re: How much to charge
Post by: Fleecewife on March 27, 2013, 12:17:52 am
Heb cull ewes would be £25 or so at most.


I've seen the odd pen at mart - £10ish usually, but had I got Hebs, mart would be the last place I'd take them.

I agree that selling Hebs and any of the primitives through a general mart would not net a great price. Selling them direct esp to a friend is a great opportunity.
 
However, Susannah's are only 3 and 4 yo so could be sold for breeding, or slaughtered for top quality mutton.  I would hope to sell them for about £30 e, depending on their condition, more if they are reg and were going for breeding.   There's a surprising amount of meat on a mature Heb, lean and tasty.