Supermarkets at risk of British beef and lamb shortages

Supermarkets are at risk of British beef and lamb shortages as hard-up farmers face a drop-off in subsidy payments.

A fall in subsidies post-Brexit combined with increasing cost pressures has led to some farmers reducing the numbers of cows and lambs they own, which they say could fuel a shortfall in high-quality homegrown meat. 

New findings from the National Farmers Union (NFU) show that upland farm businesses will lose an average of 37pc of support payments as basic subsidies are phased out in favour of green schemes.

The UK has been rolling out its own green farming schemes to replace the European Union’s £2.4bn subsidy regime after Brexit, promising farmers would receive cash in return for actions that provide public benefit to the environment.

However, industry chiefs have warned that sustainable-linked subsidies are not tailored to suit hill farmers, meaning many will lose out on payments that help keep them afloat.

The Government has said previously it will unveil a new package of funding measures this year, although timelines have since been pushed back.

Uncertainty has already forced some farmers to scale back their operations, raising the prospect of possible British beef and lamb shortages. 

Helen Drinkall, who runs a farm in Chorley, Lancashire, said she had recently reduced the number of cattle at her farm after years of “treading water”. 

Ms Drinkell said that without changes the industry will shrink: “It depends on whether the British public values having homegrown beef and lamb on supermarket shelves because supermarkets will always find it somewhere. 

“They’ll just import more, so the beef and lamb will be less climate-friendly, lower welfare, and just not up to the standards we’re used to.”

Hill farmers argue that the UK schemes currently fail to recognise the work they do to maintain the countryside in upland areas, some of which are located in the UK’s best-known National Parks, such as the Peak District and Exmoor.

For example, farmers with fields that grow crops can receive payments for sowing strips of land with birdseed or creating hedgerows, whereas those in hilly areas are unable to carry out such measures.

Upland farming is typically used to rear cattle and lambs because the land is not suitable for growing crops or fresh produce. 

However, hill farmers say are involved in maintaining local footpaths and boosting biodiversity in areas where they operate.

NFU vice president David Exwood said the anticipated fall in government subsidies is “not a surprise to the farmers working in our hills”. 

He said the NFU has been urging ministers to accelerate proposals that “deliver meaningful income in return for the vital management hill farms deliver and the environmental goods they supply.”