Jenny Rees

Jenny R.

Lamb Wars New Scientist  18 June 1981

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Does anyone today remember the “Lamb War” ?
In 1980 you couldn’t open a newspaper without reading about British farmers marching through Paris, or French farmers having fun blocking the Channel Ports.

   A heady spirit of British Nationalism was in the air and we all boycotted the Golden Delicious apple (though I’m not sure how apples got dragged into the dispute).  Peace was declared in October when the Sheep-meat regime was finalised and Peter Walker, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food welcomed it as a great boost for British Agriculture.

The scheme means that lambs sold at auction have a guaranteed minimum price – this varies seasonally. If market price last week was 20p/kg below the guaranteed price, then producers selling this week are paid 20p/kg subsidy. However, if an exporter has been smart and bought lambs at 20p below the guarantee, he then pays back 20p as a levy. So exporters cannot win.

Peter Walker becomes President of the EEC Farm Ministers Council on July 1st.  But signs are that all his efforts to modify the regime will be met with a resounding “Non!” from Mme Cresson, France’s Minister of Agriculture. French farmers are very happy to no longer have UK imports undercutting them. In fairness, they have higher production costs because they rely on feeding grain, whereas our fertile grassy hill land produces quality lamb more economically.

   British farmers are not too badly affected yet as we they have a guaranteed minimum price arrangement. It’s the unfortunate exporting companies that have been hit and are asking themselves – What did we all fight the Great Lamb War for?

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About me

I lived for over forty years on a Hill Farm above Hay and gained a deep ‘sense of place’ for the Radnorshire landscape. This has influenced both my writings (much of it featuring science-based ideas taken from life on the farm) and my photography.

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