have rules changed regarding fat lambs and teeth ?

[andybk]

was asked today if the rules had changed regarding fat ambs teeth (lost a tooth not erupting ) , didnt think it had but seem to remember something that they were going to change rules at some point ?

 

[unlacedgecko]

was asked today if the rules had changed regarding fat ambs teeth (lost a tooth not erupting ) , didnt think it had but seem to remember something that they were going to change rules at some point ?

What a load of rubbish. I've never known a shopper ask about the tooth status of there roast lamb rack.

Just like I've never known a shopper ask about the status of their steak's erector muscle...

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Meant to be a cut off point in may or June...not sure if it's in this year or not... @sherg do you know?

 

[andybk]

Meant to be a cut off point in may or June...not sure if it's in this year or not... @sherg do you know?

yes thats what i remembered , there is no warning on sedge report about checking teeth for fat mart , so had me wondering , had a feeling it was june

 

[yellowbelly]

I overheard a buyer last week saying the plants were going to come down hard on hoggs with teeth up this year
I mouthed a few of ours this week - they're OK but starting to get a bit stretchy

 

[Northeastfarmer]

yes thats what i remembered , there is no warning on sedge report about checking teeth for fat mart , so had me wondering , had a feeling it was june

Tbf if people are still selling hoggs in June it's farcial

 

[sherg]

Meant to be a cut off point in may or June...not sure if it's in this year or not... @sherg do you know?

I don't think anything has been sorted out yet the last I heard they weren't sure on what the date would be, the middle of may would be sensible around here by the 3rd week in may the buyers are looking to move over anyway and there wouldn't be enough springers by the beginning of may I dare say down south they would probably welcome the date to be at the beginning of may and up north the end of may might suit

 

[gone up the hill]

I don't think anything has been sorted out yet the last I heard they weren't sure on what the date would be, the middle of may would be sensible around here by the 3rd week in may the buyers are looking to move over anyway and there wouldn't be enough springers by the beginning of may I dare say down south they would probably welcome the date to be at the beginning of may and up north the end of may might suit

Should be no later than 10th April.

 

[sherg]

Should be no later than 10th April.

A good many hoggets wouldn't be 12 months old by then, your a month too early at the earliest

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Should be no later than 10th April.

I only start lambing then!

 

[gone up the hill]

A good many hoggets wouldn't be 12 months old by then, your a month too early at the earliest

Needs to be then for the Suck lamb trade.

Then again in Tesco's tonight they had 95% NZ lamb and only mince and one other cut ( cant recall which ) that was UK lamb.

Asked the manager why and he told me that they are having serious trouble sourcing any UK lambs currently due to the time of year...

 

[neilo]

Needs to be then for the Suck lamb trade.

What has the suck lamb trade got to do with it?

This rule is supposed to differentiate between sheep aged under 12 months and older than 12 months, nothing more. That age limit is itself based on suspect ideas about TSE's, 'maybe' causing nvCJD. No link whatsoever has been proven, but still the ruling remains in place.

To suggest an 'April 10th' cut off shows a complete disregard for all the sheep farmers that lamb in April (& later in some parts, through necessity of climate/topography).

 

[farmerclare]

Needs to be then for the Suck lamb trade.

Then again in Tesco's tonight they had 95% NZ lamb and only mince and one other cut ( cant recall which ) that was UK lamb.

Asked the manager why and he told me that they are having serious trouble sourcing any UK lambs currently due to the time of year...

Sam was talking to a chap at market on Tuesday and he said he'd got 25000 store lambs left to sell

 

[S J H]

I thought it was in this year for June, but not sure now

 

[gone up the hill]

What has the suck lamb trade got to do with it?

This rule is supposed to differentiate between sheep aged under 12 months and older than 12 months, nothing more. That age limit is itself based on suspect ideas about TSE's, 'maybe' causing nvCJD. No link whatsoever has been proven, but still the ruling remains in place.

To suggest an 'April 10th' cut off shows a complete disregard for all the sheep farmers that lamb in April (& later in some parts, through necessity of climate/topography).

Because hogs are being sold later and later each year, no reason at all for any hogs to be left on farm by the middle of April.

If April lambers cant get lambs in spec and fhinshed within 11/ 12 months then their systems after lambing/ genetics etc need changing.

 

[neilo]

Sam was talking to a chap at market on Tuesday and he said he'd got 25000 store lambs left to sell

There will be lots like him. The big store finishers have been holding off for the uplift that will give them a margin on the expensive store lambs they've bought. They can only wait so long though, and it certainly hasn't materialised yet.
There will be a lot of those finishers pushing out a hell of a lot of hoggets soon, when their patience runs out and their landlords want the ground back for cropping.

 

[neilo]

Because hogs are being sold later and later each year, no reason at all for any hogs to be left on farm by the middle of April.

If April lambers cant get lambs in spec and fhinshed within 11/ 12 months then their systems after lambing/ genetics etc need changing.

FFS! Do you ever leave Devon? I hear that, even in the tropics, not everyone lambs in Jan/Feb.
What about all the hill lambs? Or those that don't lamb until May because winter can still hit their areas hard in April?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

There will be lots like him. The big store finishers have been holding off for the uplift that will give them a margin on the expensive store lambs they've bought. They can only wait so long though, and it certainly hasn't materialised yet.
There will be a lot of those finishers pushing out a hell of a lot of hoggets soon, when their patience runs out and their landlords want the ground back for cropping.

There was a guy at the mart yesterday getting his first draw of 3000 September bought hoggs...he didn't look happy

 

[gone up the hill]

FFS! Do you ever leave Devon? I hear that, even in the tropics, not everyone lambs in Jan/Feb.
What about all the hill lambs? Or those that don't lamb until May because winter can still hit their areas hard in April?

They have 12 months to fhinsh these lambs even if they lamb in April, something is seriously wrong if you cant get lambs to 40/47 kilos in 12 months..

Jan/ Feb lambs will all be gone within 6/7 months at most, I fail to see why April lambers need 13/15 months to fhinsh their lambs.

 

[neilo]

They have 12 months to fhinsh these lambs even if they lamb in April, something is seriously wrong if you cant get lambs to 40/47 kilos in 12 months..

Jan/ Feb lambs will all be gone within 6/7 months at most, I fail to see why April lambers need 13/15 months to fhinsh their lambs.

Of course, the majority could be gone well before then, if it wasn't worth holding them (cheaply) to wait for an uplift in the trade. However, there will also be a lot of hill lambs that are late born, slow growing and won't have had the best opportunities in early life. They are always going to be slower to come to a half decent weight.

Personally, I have about 90 left here. Apart from the odd ones that have had problems (as some always will), they are mostly Beltex and Charmoise X lambs out of tegs, or May born Highlander wethers. Most could have been sold finished by Christmas, but their weights would have been lighter than I'd have liked. Having plenty of roots, I chose to keep them back to add a few kilos cheaply, without going out of spec. They'll have eaten less than a fiver's worth of swedes in the meantime (much less if you were to factor in Glastir payments on those swedes). Was I wrong to do so? I don't think so. Even with no uplift in p/kg, they are worth c.£15/hd more than they were at Christmas.