Nick Harvey says:

Lamb farmers across the Southwest are being hit by a catastrophic fall in prices. Closer to home farmers in the Tiverton area are calling on the Government to arrest the situation.

Within industry circles the situation is being described as ‘disastrous’ even ‘catastrophic.’ Liveweight prices were between 95p and 99p/kg before the second Foot and Mouth outbreak, now farmers have reported prices as low as 60p/kg or £17 a head.

Lamb prices have been hit hardest by the continuing disruption caused by Foot and Mouth Disease, especially as the domestic market struggles to absorb large numbers of carcasses that would have normally been exported.

I understand from the Livestock Auctioneers’ Association that up to 30% of lambs slaughtered in the autumn are normally exported, primarily to France. However, there is now a backlog, while the regular supply of prime lambs continues to back up as well, all this adding to the suppressed market price.

I for one will be demanding to know what the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to do about a situation that his Department helped orchestrate.