April lamb kill continues annual upward trend
Thursday, 12 May 2022
In April the UK produced 24,300 tonnes of sheep meat, according to the latest Defra data, an increase of 22% (4,400 tonnes) compared to April 2021.
The main driver for the increase in year-on-year production is due to an increase in slaughter numbers in 2022. In April 2022 the Defra UK lamb kill totalled just over 1 million head, an increase of 22% (181,00 head) compared to April 2021. There were fewer lambs available in 2021 as a result of Brexit, but now that Brexit is done, we can see numbers returning in line with 2019 levels.
Average carcase weights in April were 21.1kg/head, up 400g from the same time last year.
Ewe kill totalled 99,600 head in April, an 11% (9,600 head) increase from last year. Ewe kill has likely been supported due to the timings of Ramadan celebrations this year.
![Image of staff member Freya Shuttleworth](https://projectblue.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Staff Bio/MI/Freya Shuttleworth - 230907.png)
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