New regulations to standardise deadweight carcass price and classification reporting for sheep in England have been put in place recently, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Defra have introduced these regulations with the aim to “bring the sheep sector in line with beef and pork, and ensure sheep farmers are paid more fairly for their livestock at slaughter”.
The new rules cover mandatory carcass classification and price reporting from all abattoirs, except the lower throughput plants, providing sheep farmers with useful classification data based on the EUROP grid.
Defra outlined that slaughterhouses in England must register with the Rural Payments Agency and comply with the new regulations if 2,000 or more sheep per week on a rolling annual average are being processed, while businesses processing between 1,000 and 1,999 sheep per week may voluntarily register for the scheme.
Under the new regulations, mandatory classification will apply to carcases of sheep aged less than 12 months-of-age.
Slaughterhouses within scope of the regulations must report carcass prices, classification, and weight to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), who will anonymise, aggregate, and publish these details to provide market transparency.
NSA
The National Sheep Association (NSA), one of the industry bodies who worked closely with Defra to create these rules, stated that this is another step towards “simplifying and giving more clarity to sheep farmers over deadweight price comparisons between processors.”
NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker said: “It also means that for all but the smallest abattoirs, we will now see sheep carcass grading come under the control of the RPA, bringing us in line with cattle grading.
“Both these improvements further ambitions to create better transparency and trust through the supply chain.”
With 55% of lambs in the UK being sold liveweight, Stocker noted that this change in regulation does not impact farmers selling via live marts.
NSA outlined that the new pricing mechanism caters for two cutting specifications – domestic retailer and export – and uses a coefficient to standardise the price.
Defra
Speaking on the new regulations, Minister of State at Defra, Dame Angela Eagle commented: “British lamb is rightly recognised worldwide for its exceptional flavour and production standards – and supply chain fairness is vital to ensure farmers and processors are properly rewarded for the quality food they produce.”
“By ensuring a fair and transparent sheep market, we’re backing British producers, strengthening our food security and supporting a resilient future for the sector.”
The regulations were introduced in England on Monday, January 12, 2026, with similar regulations set to take effect in Scotland this week.
Welsh abattoirs will report under Wales’s new regime from Wednesday, January 28, while Northern Ireland is expected to introduce equivalent measures in early 2026, creating a consistent UK-wide framework.
