lamb,extortionate price of

[jaberwocky]

can anyone tell me why,when there are literally millions of sheep in britain is lamb so bloody expensive.we seem to import lamb from the other side of the world,i.e new zealand and yet have all this available on our doorstep.here's an example,saw lamb chops for sale,4 very small ones at that and they cost about 5 quid.wouldn't feed a gnat.there's got to be a reason but it eludes me.thanks

[shaneystar2]

Because lamb is in ranched New Zealand.Lamb producers in the UK can't compete with their low cost production even taking into account the cost of getting it here and also the fact that it's available all year round whereas here we have spring and autumn lamb.Also sheep in this country are one of the only animals that are not reared intensively .
People want cheap food and that is what the supermarkets provide They buy in bulk and then pay our farmers a pittance and whack up the profit margin and not only for meat.
I would rather pay a bit more and have something tasty now and again than buy a lump of frozen meat I don't really know the provenance of.
There are cheaper cuts of lamb ...neck for example which makes lovely hotpot.
Support your local farmers markets and butcher ..it's often cheaper and much better quality !!

[Aggi]

Try lamb shanks. They are cheap but if you cook them slowly they are the best cut of the lamp you can buy. Very, very cheap!!