The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is forecasting the likelihood of a tightness in lamb supplies for the British Christmas trade. The organisation predicts that there will be British lambs available for slaughter, but there will be likely be supply issues caused by a marked reduction in imports from New Zealand.
AHDB red meat analyst, Rebecca Wright, says that in a normal year, New Zealand would expect six or seven ships to deliver lamb to the UK via Asia in time for the Christmas chilled market. There are just three ships expected to transport lamb to the UK for the 2021 season, with the AHDB forecasting that one of these ships will not reach the UK until days before Christmas.
Ongoing difficulties in the global shipping network due to COVID-19 are highlighted as the cause of this delay, resulting in major supply issues in sourcing shipping containers and space on shipment. The cost of containers saw more than a five-fold increase in price over the last 12 months, rising to in excess of $10,000.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ireland
The situation is likely to have positive implications for Irish lamb. Reports in recent days suggest that UK customers are looking to Irish lamb to fill the void in supplies from reduced imports from New Zealand. It is also very likely that the volume of New Zealand lamb exported to other markets in Europe will be disrupted, which could hopefully have knock-on effects in increasing demand for Irish product.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is forecasting the likelihood of a tightness in lamb supplies for the British Christmas trade. The organisation predicts that there will be British lambs available for slaughter, but there will be likely be supply issues caused by a marked reduction in imports from New Zealand.
AHDB red meat analyst, Rebecca Wright, says that in a normal year, New Zealand would expect six or seven ships to deliver lamb to the UK via Asia in time for the Christmas chilled market. There are just three ships expected to transport lamb to the UK for the 2021 season, with the AHDB forecasting that one of these ships will not reach the UK until days before Christmas.
Ongoing difficulties in the global shipping network due to COVID-19 are highlighted as the cause of this delay, resulting in major supply issues in sourcing shipping containers and space on shipment. The cost of containers saw more than a five-fold increase in price over the last 12 months, rising to in excess of $10,000.
Ireland
The situation is likely to have positive implications for Irish lamb. Reports in recent days suggest that UK customers are looking to Irish lamb to fill the void in supplies from reduced imports from New Zealand. It is also very likely that the volume of New Zealand lamb exported to other markets in Europe will be disrupted, which could hopefully have knock-on effects in increasing demand for Irish product.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS