A Southland skin processor says some southern farmers lost more than half of their lambs to the extreme weather that hit them at the tail end of September.
Hundreds of thousands of lambs as well as large numbers of ewes and calves perished in the snow storms that hit Southland and South Otago.
Ray Watson says Slink Skins Ltd is now drawing breath after 14 days working round the clock processing the skins and carcases of dead lambs and calves collected from farms.
He estimates the company will have up to 25% more lamb and calf skins to sell this year, in an international market still recovering from the recession.
