Sercombe, who is chairman of the livestock board at the UK arm of the NFU, warned of the fragile market situation in this low-income sector, and called for a medium-term strategy to help ensure the viability of its future. He said it was particularly important to address market transparency, and to have better harmonisation of price reporting.
He said: "Sheep prices across the EU are lower than last year and consumption is stagnating or even declining. Production costs are also increasing. Yet sheepmeat production is important for the economies of the EU’s rural areas, where often no alternative source of employment exists.
"It also helps to maintain biodiversity and is highly nutritious. A long-term strategy is therefore needed, setting out concrete actions to help deal with the short-, medium- and long-term challenges and ensure that we have a viable sector in the future".
Sercombe will be supported by two vice-chairs, Michèle Boudoin (FNSEA, France) and Sandor Kukovics (HCA, Hungary).