Except for two periods of price pressure, mutton and lamb prices have followed a steady upward trajectory since the start of 2019 underpinned by low supply (see Figure 3.3). The first notable period of decline in prices was in early 2021, after the 2020 festive season highs. This was exacerbated by intensified Covid-19 lockdowns during the start of 2021. The second period of decline was during July 2021, after a shipment of a large number of live sheep left South African shores in June 2021. The shipment of live animals in Lamb and Mutton Market Dynamics
June kept prices elevated during the sec- ond quarter of 2021 after which demand returned to normal levels. Low supply over the past years was underpinned by prolonged drought in key production. In fact, these conditions were widespread, affecting areas such as Willowmore, Uniondale, Laingsburg, Prince Albert, Calvina, and Williston, which all had below long-term average rainfall from 2015 to 2020 (see Table 3.2).
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