With sheep farmers seeing a sudden drop in the price received for their prime lambs this week, the National Sheep Association (NSA) is reminding retailers and consumers that this is the best time of year to support and enjoy British lamb.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: “A lot of lamb producers will be hit hard by this drop and, while it is part of a natural, seasonal trend as a lot of spring-born lambs reach the market at a similar time, it is a shame the price has dropped so suddenly. It does lead to questions about the extent to which retailers are supporting the British product.

“We are expecting stocks of imported New Zealand lamb to diminish over the next couple of weeks and NSA would like to see retailers step up promotion of the UK product in light of that, especially given the exceptional quality of home-produced lamb through the summer months.

"Retailers should be doing all they can to stock their shelves with a UK offering and support their national supply base.”