Charles headed up a delegation of representatives from the UK farming unions who attending a series of meetings. In his role as chairman of the Copa working party on sheep, Charles reported back to a roomful of Copa members on research carried out by the NFU on the imports of New Zealand lamb into the UK and Europe.
The research highlighted that shipments from New Zealand for September 2015 were up 74 per cent compared to September last year. The country has a fixed EU quota of 228,000 tonnes, which used to be composed of whole carcases. More recently, we have seen a move from frozen to fresh, and from carcases to bone-in cuts.
This is a substantive change in trade since the original agreement in the 1980s which is having an effect on the UK and EU sheep market. With talks on new EU-New Zealand trade agreements about to start, the NFU will continue to ensure this point is firmly in the minds of negotiators.
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The delegation – made up of John Royle (NFU chief livestock adviser), Crosby Cleland (Ulster Farmers Union livestock board chairman) and Richard Potts (UK farming unions policy adviser on livestock) – accompanied Charles to a meeting with the European Commission where further concerns on sheep market transparency were outlined.
Charles highlighted the need for a mandatory EU carcase classification and price reporting system for lamb, similar to current arrangements for the beef and pork sectors. He stressed to the commission that there needed to be a consistent dressing specification across Europe, ensuring greater openness throughout the market. He also called for a mandatory price reporting system to be implemented, urging the commission to review the current legislation and bring sheep meat into line with the other red meat sectors.
The sector would benefit hugely from following the example of the milk market observatory, Charles told officials. The UK farming are anxious to make progress on these concerns and will be writing to the commission to set them out in further detail.