There is expected to be 60,000-70,000 lambs/hoggets carried over into 2023, as a difficult 2022 shows it colours.

This is what Joe Burke, beef and livestock sector manager with Bord Bia, said during his presentation of the ‘Review of the lamb sector during 2022 and market outlook for 2023’. He said it is a result of reduced thrive, at times poor grazing conditions, and high production costs.

Joe was speaking at the Bord Bia marketing seminar last Friday (January 13) at the Killashee Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare.

Lambs to carry over

All of this, Burke said, led to a slower supply pattern in 2022 – so much so, that in quarter four of the year, average carcass weights were back almost 1.5kg.

In quarter four of 2022, the average lamb carcass weight was recorded at 20.3kg, whereas at the same time 12 months prior, the average lamb carcass was 21.8kg.

Speaking about throughput in 2022, Joe Burke described it as positive with over 200,000 extra sheep processed due to extra hoggets coming through the system in the first two quarters of 2022.

Spring lamb throughput for the year was back (by -42,000 head) but offset by additional breeding sheep (+33,000) processed over the course of the year. However, Burke explained that that indicated a reduction in the level of optimism among producers as the year went on.

Lastly, in terms of throughput, Joe Burke touched on imports of lamb from Northern Ireland.

He said that there was very little change, with some more hoggets seen in the first half of the year, but fewer spring lambs imported in the second half of the year.