Carcass weight of slaughtered sheep and lambs in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2021
Carcass weight
Carcass weight is the weight of an animal after it was partially butchered. For sheep the skin is usually removed as well as other inedible or undesirable parts, which include the internal organs, tails, legs, and often the head. Bones and cartilage are included in the weight. The weight varies from animal to animal and the average is used for industrial calculations.
Sheep and lambs
The UK had a population of approximately 22.5 million sheep and lambs on agricultural holdings in 2018. During the same year 12.8 million animals were slaughtered, which increased slightly in 2017. Sheep are more commonly subjected to Halal slaughtering methods than other animals and not stunned when slaughtered in 25 percent of all cases. Approximately 750 thousand sheep slaughtered without prior stunning are then exported outside the UK.