Red meat production triumphs in Wales
A bulletin produced by the Welsh Government has revealed that the Welsh sheep and cattle sector enjoyed a buoyant year in 2016, with the combined value of their output having represented the highest share of Welsh agricultural output, at 44%.
According to the statistical report, the sector saw improved prices during the year, particularly for finished livestock, which resulted in lifted output from sheep and cattle, by 4% and 1% respectively.
The output from sheep is forecast to stand at £267 million, around £10 million higher than estimates for 2015, while the forecast value of aggregate agricultural output in the country stands at £1.4 billion for the year.
Elsewhere, the average farm business income for less favoured area (LFA) cattle and sheep farms is forecast to stand at £27,500 per farm for 2016/17, marking a 26% increase from the previous year’s estimates and the highest figure seen in five years.
The report noted that LFA farm incomes also saw an improvement in lowland cattle and sheep farms, with forecasts for 2016/17 predicting a 34% increase compared to the year before, at £22,000.
Industry information executive at Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, John Richards, noted: “This information provides a useful indication of long term trends and could provide some confidence to the red meat sector, which has experienced, and is facing, a period of uncertainty due to Brexit.
“Improved market prices for beef, and sheep in particular, when compared to the previous 12 months would have influenced the increase. The overriding factor, however, would have been the increase seen in Basic Farm Payments due to the weaker pound.”
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