Category: Industry & Supply Chain

This month’s Market Bulletin focuses on the UK sheep sector, highlighting current trends and key factors influencing the market. Key points: Total sheep & lamb throughput for 2025 (up to September) is steady on year-earlier levels at 9.3 million head – just 0.2% higher than the same period in 2024 (DEFRA). Prime lambs made up … Continued

HCC’s latest market bulletin, released this week, looks at HMRC data on trade figures for fresh and frozen red meat products in the first six months of 2025. Key points: In the first half of 2025, UK beef production fell by 4% compared to the same period in 2024. During the same period, sheep meat … Continued

EIDCymru staff will be out and about over the coming weeks, promoting the useful facilities available to sheep, goat and deer keepers on its online movement reporting website. The team will visit markets and ram and breeding sheep sales across Wales – from Ruthin to Carmarthen – to encourage farmers to register for an online … Continued

Two white clover, one red clover, two Italian rye-grass and eight perennial rye-grass varieties have been added to the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales 2025/26 (RGCL). The inclusion of thirteen new grass and clover varieties in the annual RGCL handbook adds strength to the options available to farmers in Wales, as … Continued

An industry webinar will present the benefits of genetic improvement for farming businesses, and producers from across the UK are encouraged to register today. Hosted by Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) and Signet Breeding Services, the webinar will highlight the achievements of relevant UK-wide industry projects including RamCompare, the UK’s national progeny test. In addition, practical … Continued

Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) urges farmers to be aware of latest Welsh Government advice around Bluetongue and movement restrictions. Bluetongue virus is primarily transmitted by midge bites and affects cattle, goats and sheep. The impacts on susceptible animals can vary greatly – some show no clinical signs or effects at all, … Continued

Top salespeople from a leading foodservice supplier in Italy have recently visited Wales as part of an inward mission organized by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales. In collaboration with red meat processor, Kepak, five top-performing sales people from Polo Ristorazione visited the Kepak processing site in Merthyr Tydful as well as visiting a … Continued

Restricted international and domestic beef supply has fuelled a near 40 per cent increase in cattle deadweight prices in just nine months- trends that anticipate the imminent breaking of the £7 per kilo threshold. Beef price records are being smashed virtually every week as supply tightens, not only in the UK, but across Europe as … Continued

RamCompare, the UK’s national sheep progeny testing initiative, is seeking new commercial farms to join the project this season across Wales and England. RamCompare “host” farms are needed to provide around 300 commercial ewes of a uniform breed type which are mated to terminal sire rams provided by the project using single-sire, natural-service mating groups … Continued

New data indicates that farmers are tuning in to savings by reducing calving intervals – but the statistics also show there remains considerable opportunity to further boost profitability. The average calving interval for beef dams in Wales was 420 days in 2024, according to the latest data from the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS), which … Continued