POSTPONED Make the most of selling your lamb – tips of the trade

The lamb supply chain begins on farm and ends on the consumer’s plate, but the way for sheep producers to maximise returns from their lamb crop is to produce and sell what their buyers really want and are willing to pay the most money for.

While weight is obviously important, sending animals of the right conformation and fat score is just as vital. Frequent, careful handling of the lambs is essential to ensure each animal has reached its full potential and target specifications.

Rob and Liz Priest from Kingsford Farm, Holsworthy and Scadghill Farm, Bude joined AHDB’s Farm Excellence project in 2021 as the latest Beef & Lamb Monitor Farm in the South West of England. The 70 ha organic farm in Holsworthy, Devon, runs a flock of 480 breeding ewes and a suckler herd of 75 Stabiliser cattle. Keen to seize opportunities and expand the business, Rob and Liz recently took on Scadghill Farm in Bude, Cornwall. One of the Priest’s focus areas when joining the Farm Excellence project was to increase the killing out percentages of their finished lambs.

This event is aimed at sheep farmers and will include practical demonstrations and discussion on topics such as:

• Hitting specifications by selecting lambs of the right conformation, fat score and weight
• Interrogating and understanding kill sheets
• Processor, retailer and consumer preferences

We’ll be joined by Steve Powdrill, AHDB Selection and Carcase Classification Specialist; Roger Heggadon, Lamb Procurement at Jasper’s; Liz Rees, Lamb Supply Chain Manager of Dalehead Foods; and Jake Pickering, Partner and Senior Manager for Agriculture at Waitrose & Partners. 

Lunch and refreshments will be served so please advise us of any special dietary requirements. We look forward to welcoming you to this Monitor Farm event. You can register for your free place by booking online, emailing KE.events@ahdb.org.uk or calling 01904 771218. Attendees must be over 16 years of age and suitable footwear must be worn.