Maintaining lamb stocks must be the Welsh red meat industry’s prime concern as a new survey reveals the national flock now stands at the lowest level it has been for 13 years.
That was what the chairman of Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales’ told farming representatives at the Royal Welsh Show Winter Fair.
Referring to the newly released Welsh Government June Farming Survey, Cath Smith said there were 8.75 million head of sheep and lambs in Wales in June 2024, an increase of one per cent when compared to June 2023 but still trending eight per cent below 2021 levels.
Statistics from the June survey indicated the total number of cattle and calves in Wales was 1,089,800 – a decrease of 2.4 per cent from the figure for June 2023, with decreases in the beef herd more pronounced than dairy.
Ms Smith said the red meat industry needed to future-proof the Welsh generational family farm way of life.
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