[ZaktheLad]

I will be sending 4 x lambs in a couple of weeks for the first time to my local family abattoir/butchers shop.   The charge for each lamb will be £30 - this includes the whole process, together with them bagging up the meat/labelling and putting in a box.   This is for the basic joints preparation - no rolling of certain joints etc.  Does this seem a reasonable price?  At this price, what should I be looking for selling on to family members? Thanks!

[Foobar]

I pay £16 per lamb, cut (however you want) and boxed (no bags or labels though).  I think vac-packing would bump that price up a fair bit - I think about 40p per bag or something my place charge.


As for selling price, you need to work out how much it has cost you to rear them .

[Bramblecot]

That is about the same as our place charges, but we only get the joints bagged and labelled, then put in one large bag.  We collect and deliver to family/friends charging £50-55 a half and I think they are getting a real bargain. 
I'm sure it does not cover costs but you have to price according to to your buyers - how many do you have and how much will they pay?  So many variables...Are they repeat customers?  What is the quality like and do they even appreciate it?   (I caught one of my customers buying a NZ half price leg of lamb in supermarket last week for a stupidly low price ).  Can you do a swop with someone local for beef/pork/chicken?  Only last night a neighbour said they love eating lamb but it is just too expensive and overpriced.  But now he is going to do some welding for us
The same applies to our sheepskin rugs except usually they are one-off buys.  Good luck.

[ZaktheLad]

Bramblecot - thanks, that's very helpful.  I have had a general look on Google for prices of whole and half lamb boxes and they vary hugely - circa £120 seems to be the average. Half boxes seem to be around £65.00.  A neighbouring farmer asked me yesterday if I had any available and he seemed to think he would pay £100 for a whole.  I would be the loser on this as with the £30 charge he would be getting a deal at £70.00.  Seeing as he charged me top whack for some small bale hay a couple of months ago that was 2 years old @ £4 per bale, I am not minded to sell to him at the price he thinks he should pay to be honest. Particualrly as the price does not include my petrol costs or delivery to his door. 

I have always sold direct to market but every year I feel so guilty a the way the lambs are treated and stressed.  I also have no idea of how far they travel squashed in the lorries at the end of the day.  I think the local abbattoir would be far less stressful for them - hence my move to looking at this.  Hence none of my potential buyers are repeat customers.  I don't eat much meat (only chicken) myself, so not looking to swap and have made lots of our own hay this year too, so a barter on this with the above mentioned farmer wouldn't do either!  So many decisions!

[lachlanandmarcus]

I will be sending 4 x lambs in a couple of weeks for the first time to my local family abattoir/butchers shop.   The charge for each lamb will be £30 - this includes the whole process, together with them bagging up the meat/labelling and putting in a box.   This is for the basic joints preparation - no rolling of certain joints etc.  Does this seem a reasonable price?  At this price, what should I be looking for selling on to family members? Thanks!

It's a lot cheaper than my neck of the woods, we have to pay about £45 altho the butchery is more fancy. Most of the abbatoirs don't do private kills any more so there's a choice of one :-((

[Hevxxx99]

My local one charges £40 kill and cut, but that's for mutton which requires the spinal cord removing, so I expect lambs would be less.

I haven't sold any for ages but I charged by the pound and I think it was £5/lb for a side.

[Foobar]

My local one charges £40 kill and cut, but that's for mutton which requires the spinal cord removing, so I expect lambs would be less.

Mine charges £3 extra for adult sheep, so £19.

[Bramblecot]

Zak - we paid £4 a bale recently and that was from our friendly  !  I fully understand what you mean about selling through marts. (This is not a criticism, just personal choice).  I would rather know the deed is done, where and when.  We also buy back the skins and get them tanned - very popular and I sell them for £45-65.
I think you are very lucky foobar with your price for kill and cut.  But I am so thankful  that we still have a choice of 3 local abattoirs.  Our local place will also do a 'farmers bag' where the joints are not individually wrapped and that is a bit cheaper than £30.  My customers like to have the meat bagged and labelled though (mainly ex-townies).

[twizzel]

We pay £25 for kill and cut into basic joints. The slaughterhouse I think charges £12 per head to kill, so it's £13 to cut. We sell our lamb £70 for half to friends and family. We worked out last year it cost us £65 to buy, rear, kill and cut an orphan lamb... this year might be slightly less as we bought them for £10 instead of £25 per head however we lost a couple fairly late on after weaning so this may affect our profits this year.

[Tudful Tamworths]

The abattoirs within easy reach of me in south Wales both charge about £15 for kill and cut. One arranges the meat unbagged in boxes, while the other bags and boxes. Sounds like I'm quite fortunate.

[debbietownhead]

We pay £14 for killing costs and £35 for butchery.  However it all comes back vac packed and labelled and keeps us legal as we are regularly inspected by environmental health.  Expensive yes but worry free!

[Azzdodd]

I pay £14 killed and cut I'm getting a bargain I guess.....

[twizzel]

We pay £14 for killing costs and £35 for butchery.  However it all comes back vac packed and labelled and keeps us legal as we are regularly inspected by environmental health.  Expensive yes but worry free!

Blimey how do you make a profit with kill and cut nearly £50?!

[mmu]

We're in Aberdeenshire too, and it is getting stupid to try and eat your own meat, 'specially when you hear all the official waffle about food miles, traceability etc., it won't be long before it's impossible.  I hate markets too, I like to know my sheep are going nowhere alive when I leave them.  The thought of them being treated badly and travelled miles in terrible conditions to who know what end just horrifies me.  We should be getting more choice not less, after all that's what the powers that be keep on about with everything else.  I have heard that if you can get your butcher to book your sheep in, you can get them "private killed"  Haven't tried it yet though.

[twizzel]

mmu what do you mean private killed? Our lambs go through the abbatoir as private kill as opposed to commercial kills, as far as I know it's the same process? Our butcher picks them up once killed and does the rest. Or do you mean home kill?