End of year boost to lamb purchases welcomed by Livestock and Meat Commission

The analysis reveals enhanced lamb sales during December, with lamb roasts up 10 per cent on Christmas 2021 and 13.6 percent on 2019 levels. Lamb shoulder joints recorded a positive growth, just shy of four per cent. Also worthy of note was the two per cent increase on the 2021 figures for beef roasts.

Livestock and Meat Commission chief executive, Ian Stevenson, commented: “2022 was a challenging year for lamb sales. The year brought a welcome return to ‘normality’ for the hospitality industry but also saw consumers become increasingly mindful of their money due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“Taking this into account it’s fair to say lamb sales sat against a complex backdrop in 2022. But that said it is pleasing that the year ended with a stronger performance for lamb which brought a reversal of the trend of falling retail sales and volumes in 2022 to this date.

“Lamb tends to be a particularly price sensitive meat with consumers, who often reduce their consumption of lamb as retail price increases. It is a meat that is often more closely associated with special occasions and religious festivals than other meats and the challenge for industry and levy bodies is to get consumers to think positively about lamb as a versatile and good value centrepiece for meal solutions throughout the year.”

LMC is leading the conversation with science-based evidence on the health and environmental benefits of beef and lamb. Independent tracking research on the LMC advertising campaign, Good Honest Food, shows that consumers are receptive to positive messaging about Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured beef and lamb and 93 per cent of consumers who had seen the campaign were aware of NIFQA beef.

Ian continued: “As we move towards spring 2023, for LMC the focus will remain on promoting NIFQA beef and lamb as sustainable, healthy and an environmentally friendly choice. Many NI consumers are already opting to actively seek out NIFQA beef and lamb and are incorporating these meats into healthy balanced diets.”