Sweden! - International Federation of Agricultural Journalists

26 SOLUTIONS FOR A GREEN FUTURE
Sheep and lambs
Sheep and lamb breeding in Sweden is, to a large extent,
small scale. Every third farm has a maximum of 9 fullygrown
animals.
A positive trend
In contrast to pigs and cattle, sheep and
lamb breeding has experienced a positive
development in the last few years.
Production has increased, as has Swedes’
consumption of lamb. Consumption is,
however, still on a low level compared to
many other countries. The average Swede
eats between 1–2 kilograms of lamb every
year.
More and more animals
The number of ewes and rams in Sweden
was 254,000 in 2009 and the number of
lambs was 287,000. In total, the number
of sheep has increased by 149,000 animals
since 1980. This corresponds to an increase
of 38 percent.
The production of Swedish lamb has
grown by more than 50% since 1995.
Problems
Sheep and lamb breeding is still, to a great
extent, partly a hobby for many farmers.
Small scale farming continues to be a problem
which leads to a production that does
not adjust to the demand. The abattoirs
and meat companies want lambs in the period
before New Year, Easter and Ramadan
– these are the three high points during the
year when demand is greatest. However,
most lambs are delivered to the abattoirs in
the autumn because it is cheaper to raise a
lamb which is born in the spring and then
goes out to graze all summer. The abattoirs
raise the basic listing price steeply in the
weeks preceding the three high points to
make farmers more business minded and
make them deliver lambs when demand is
highest.
Where sheep and lambs are
The three counties which have the most
sheep and lambs are Västra Götaland,
Skåne and Gotland.
Prices
The prices for lamb vary throughout
the year. The highest prices are before
Ramadan, New Year and Easter. During
2010, the basic listing price was swinging
back and forth between 24 and 32 SEK
per kilogram for a lamb weighing 16–23
kilograms. Supplements add extra SEK per