Catalogue description Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Sheep Meat Variable Premium: Goats and Goat Meat (SVG File Series)

The series was originally opened in 1985 by Sheep and Livestock Subsidies Division, Branch 'B' within the Milk, Poultry and Eggs group. Their role was in the maintenance of the income of sheep farmers in the UK following the SheepMeat and GoatMeat regime of the European Union which was established in 1980.

This series has been under the ownership of several divisions all relating to sheep and livestock. The divisions seemed to have constantly split and then merged. In 1988 the Milk, Poultry and Eggs changed to the Meat group Sheep and Livestock splitting into two new divisions: Sheep Division, Livestock Subsidies Division. In 1990 the group was renamed to Livestock Products, seeing the merger of the divisions into the Sheep and Livestock Subsidies Division.

In 1997 Sheep and Livestock split again into the Beef and Sheep Division (BASD) and Livestock Schemes Division with BASD appearing to have ownership of this series. The series is currently owned by the Livestock and Ongoing Functions Team whose role covers: Policy Management for issues relating to the European and Global Pig, Egg, Poultry, Beef, Sheep and Goat markets, including all work on Management Committees in Brussels; Single CMO for the above products and WTO issues; UK Policy work for Pigs, Poultry and Eggs; UK Policy work for the British Wool Marketing Board.