Price information provided by 325 butchers over the March quarter, however, indicates that both beef and lamb prices rose on prices for the same period last year.

Beef sales, also on a positive note, also improved in March compared with those in February.

In March, however, a reduced 44pc of butcher respondents reported ‘very good to excellent’ beef sales, down from 72pc responding in March 2008.

But that's higher than the 31pc responding so positvely in February.

For lamb, only 27pc of butchers surveyed noted that sales were ‘very good to excellent’, compared with 29pc respondents in February and 58pc in March 2008.

Sales of pork and chicken also slid during March compared with those of the previous month and March 2008.

For pork, only 14pc of butchers reported ‘very good to excellent’ sales – the lowest rating since the survey commenced in July 2006.

During March, about 25pc of respondents noted ‘very good to excellent’ sales of chicken, but that figure was down from 31pc of respondents in February and down from 48pc in March 2008.