The election of Joe Biden as US President must herald the start of a more climate friendly regime in the White House, and the Brexit deal, whilst not perfect, at least on the face of it has subdued the concerns that were gathering prior to a deal being done at the end of December.
The lamb trade has so far defied all predictions and has come through Brexit stronger than ever. That coupled with good feed availability has kept demand and price for store lambs very buoyant. As I write I see that the AHDB are reporting that 27,000 store lambs were sold in the UK last week to average just under £90. This is obviously a very strong price and the organic store lamb trade is reflecting that buoyancy.
The store and finished cattle trade is also following a similar pattern with retail beef sales having risen 5% in the last 12 months. Demand for organic meat remains good with the OTB reporting sales increases of around 3%. Organic producers seem generally to have good stocks of food although bedding is a problem for some breeders and finishers.
We are finding a number of finishers unable to take stock in because of TB issues. This is causing hold ups in the organic beef chain and is of concern. The rules surrounding the licensing of movements in these situations is laborious, complicated and very often impractical, it is hoped that a more pragmatic approach could be taken.
We continue to have good demand for dairy cows, heifers and young stock and would be happy to hear from any producers who have organic dairy stock for sale. As spring approaches and cows start calving producers have started to turn their attention to breeding, if I can be of any help in this respect or to give advice on marketing requirements or enquiries to book stock in please do give me a call.
Peter Jones 01829 730 580 / 07720 892 922