Sales of Icelandic lamb rising fast

Sales of lamb in Iceland in the first three months of this year were up 25% on the same period last year, new figures suggest.

This resurgence in popularity has put lamb back into second place on the Icelandic market, having been temporarily overtaken by pork last year .

Poultry was the most popular meat in Iceland in the period January-March 2016, with a 32% share of the market. Lamb came in at 26% and pork at just under 25%.

Part of the explanation for the very healthy first-quarter figures for lamb was the early Easter in 2016. Lamb is a traditional Easter dish in Iceland and sales would have been high in March this year (instead of April as in 2015).

Director of the Icelandic Association of Sheep Farmers Svavar Halldórsson welcomes the figures and is optimistic about the future.

“[The increase in sales] is thanks to people realising how pure and good our product is,” he explains. “Hopefully the work we have put into marketing lamb, particularly to tourists, is beginning to reap rewards.”

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