Speaking at the Efficient Lamb Production Conference at Greenmount on Wednesday, Richard Brown, director of food consultancy company Gira, said that sheepmeat is a niche market among global consumers.

He said that global sheepmeat consumption is around 11m tonnes and is forecast to grow to 12m tonnes over the next five years. In comparison, poultry and pork consumption stand at 117m tonnes and 116m tonnes at present, and are forecast to increase to 129m tonnes and 119m tonnes respectively by 2021.

The global sheepmeat market is dominated by Australian and New Zealand exports. Brown said that challenges for UK and Irish producers include marketing lamb and mutton to consumers and lower rates of consumption among young people. However, a key opportunity is growing Muslim populations.

Several speakers pointed out that a post-Brexit trade deal that allows tariff free access to the EU market for UK sheep farmers was vital. “The horror of a hard Brexit is that UK lamb prices will plummet due to our reliance on exports to France,” Brown said.

Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president Victor Chestnutt said that the sheep sector is unique in that it delivers for both rural economies and environmental management in uplands. “We need a robust and thriving sheep sector,” he said.

“If Defra Secretary Michael Gove wants to deliver a green Brexit, he will need to include the colour white.”

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