The supply of lamb meat to the market varies more than other red meats. This is hardly surprising given the seasonal breeding characteristic of the great majority of sheep in this country. The Variable Premium system that currently operates in this country is designed to try and even-out the supply of ‘finished’ lamb. There is a natural spread of lambing and a wide variety of techniques used to ‘finish’ store lambs. In spite of all these factors there is still a marked shortage of lambs available particularly in the months of April and May.