EBLEX sector director Nick Allen took part in a panel seminar on the
outlook for the sheep industry, with Charles Sercombe, NFU National Livestock
Board chairman, and Phil Stocker, National Sheep Association (NSA) chief
executive. It marked the launch of the
inaugural Sheep
Vision Report, a joint publication from the NFU and NSA that assesses the
current state of the industry and where priorities lie moving forward. Nick said he wanted to see more transparency
in market information for farmers, something that was echoed by those in the
audience, given the concerns raised during the question and answer
session.
Early questions focused on the difference between what supermarkets pay
and what they charge for lamb. The
panel recognised that this was a frustration for farmers, and outlined the work
being done to challenge it, but also the fact that supermarkets answer to their
shareholders, and not the English agricultural industry.
The rest of the EBLEX team were in their usual spot in Avon Hall, with a range of interactive displays to share the latest industry information and research with visitors. One of the most popular was Monarch of the Glen, a ram that had been painted with his Estimated Breeding Values (EBV), to help visitors understand the way and reason why EBVs are determined.
Other features on the stand included a cool wall, virtual programme,
Signet scanning exhibition, liver fluke demonstration and a chiller unit with
four carcases, which formed a carcase selection competition for the NSA that
received over 100 entries. There were
also two pens of lambs, one for the national young shepherds’ competition and
the other containing lambs for discussion.
The combination of features proved popular with visitors as the stand
was packed-out all day and the Signet
team received a record number of enquiries.
The real reward for the team was when the judges announced that the EBLEX
stand won the award for Best Indoor Trade Stand. Katie Brian, EBLEX’s Better Return Programme
project manager, was presented with the award and said: “It’s great to receive
this award as it means the people who judge it, which are levy payers, like
what we’re doing.”
If you couldn’t make it to Sheep Event 2014, be sure to check out our YouTube channel, EBLEX TV, as
a host of short informative films from the show will soon be available.