Sheep sector is fragile, report reveals
Despite the impending split from the EU, the NSA recognises the important role Europe plays in the UK lamb meat sector.
A recent report calling for greater support of the lamb meat industry within Europe, has been welcomed by the National Sheep Association (NSA). Despite the impending split from the EU, the NSA recognises the important role Europe plays in the UK lamb meat sector.
Following concerns for the ‘sensitive status’ of lamb consumption across Europe, Phil Hogan, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, formulated the sheep meat forum. Over the past 12 months, four sheep meat reflection groups have been held in Brussels to discuss the issue. The group involved the NSA, UK Farming Unions, UK levy bodies and representatives of EU member states.
Mr Hogan outlined key areas for discussion, including the decline in the consumption of sheep meat and a decrease in sheep numbers. He also stressed the detrimental effect this had on the many public commodities supplied by the sheep farming industry. These goods include such things as the development of rural economies, eco-system services, animal welfare, heritage conservation and rural tourism.
NSA Policy Officer for England, Joanne Briggs, attended all meetings in Brussels and said: “The concise report, incorporating submissions from forum representatives including NSA, UK levy bodies and UK farming unions, was pulled together by an Irish team handpicked by Commissioner Hogan. It makes around 20 sound recommendations and highlights two in particular.
“NSA is very supportive of the recommendation to increase promotion of lamb within the EU to curb decline in consumption. The UK is the biggest producer of lamb in Europe and a global exporter and, as such, would like to see more people enjoy lamb and appreciate how consumption is beneficial for human health and allows sheep farmers to deliver a whole range of additional public goods in rural areas. Generic campaigns such as ‘Lamb: Tasty, Easy, Fun’ have been instrumental in promoting an ‘eat the landscape’ message and we need more of this.
“However, the other highlighted recommendation in the report was for increased CAP support for sheep farmers and, specifically, coupled support across all EU member states. Payments coupled to livestock numbers is not something the UK Government had an appetite for even before the EU referendum result, and many UK livestock farmers and NSA have reservations themselves, but if it is taken up across Europe at a time when our Government is looking to replace existing agricultural support with a post-Brexit successor, we could find ourselves at a huge competitive disadvantage in the future.
“NSA believes the UK Government should be aware of the EU report, not least because its very existence is a result of pan-EU concern about the fragility of the sheep sector and sensitivity of lamb as a product. This is as true in the UK as it is anywhere else in Europe. NSA will be highlighting the report recommendations that are pertinent to the UK, but we also need to be aware of the recommendations that look likely to be taken up by other EU member states and could therefore affect sheep farmers here.”
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