Sheep
Sheep & Goat Annual Inventory 2025
The annual Sheep and Goat Inventory is a compulsory requirement for all Scottish producers who keep sheep and/or goats on their holding. The 2025 inventory is currently open and will close at midnight on 30th January 2026. Since 2024 the inventory has been a fully online process and cannot be completed any other way. No…
Business and Policy December 2025 – Sheep
Australian Sheep Producers Intention Survey Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation Ltd have recently published the results from the sheep producer intentions survey. This survey aids lamb production forecasts for Australia, allowing knowledge of any short-term supply over the coming year. The standout figures in the report are that 52% of Australian producers…
Business and Policy November 2025 – Sheep
October Trade Round-Up The volume of prime lambs coming forward for slaughter rose in October, with slaughter figures for the week ending the 18th of October to be 3% higher than last year. The price is reflecting the increased volume of lambs coming forward, with prices decreasing slightly each week. While September ended with an…
Increased Acorn Toxicity Risk To Livestock
Oak trees have produced many more acorns this year and there have been reports of acorn toxicity cases this autumn. Acorns can be attractive to livestock after a period of feed restriction or following stormy weather when large numbers are blown from the trees. Both acorns and oak leaves contain phenols and tannins such as…
Business and Policy October 2025 – Sheep
September Trade Round-Up The breeding and store trade has shown new record levels in many marts. Cull and prime prices remain above levels from last year. For the week ending 20th September 2025, the SQQ stood at 670.2 p/kg DW, some 0.29p/kg DW ahead of the same week last year. For the same week, the…
Ewe Milk Replacer Factsheet
Surplus lambs are an inevitable part of lambing time and there are several reasons why lambs need to be artificially reared. Once the decision has been made that a lamb needs to be artificially reared, it is important it has the best possible start, whether it is to be sold or reared on the farm….
Business and Policy September 2025 – Sector Focus: The Cost of Infertile Gimmers
It is fairly common for gimmers (ewes lambing for the first time at two years old) to have a lower pregnancy rate than mature ewes in their first-year lambing. After all, they are still growing themselves as well as developing offspring and also the products of conception (i.e. placenta, udder development, and colostrum). However, we…
Business and Policy September 2025 – Sheep
August Trade Roundup Prime, cull and store trade is at a premium to last year. For the week ending 23rd August 2025, the SQQ stood at 734.9p/kg DW, some 0.69p/kg DW ahead of the same week last year. However, this is back 0.18p/kg on the week. For the same week, the cull market averages stood…
Business and Policy August 2025 – Sheep
New Season Lamb Trade On the week ending the 19th of July 2025, AHDB has new season lamb at 743.99p/kg DW which is a rise of 13.33p/kg DW on the week and 96.7 p/kg DW on the year. The weekly average Scottish prime sheep price is now higher than the 2024 price for the first…
Getting Ewes Ready for Tupping
It’s time to start preparing ewes for mating to lamb in the main lambing season (March – May). Several factors contribute to a successful tupping, with ewe condition having arguably the biggest impact. Ensuring ewes have sufficient body reserves pre-mating is essential to promote ovulation. Ewes should be body condition scored (BCS) post-weaning to allow…