Entries of in-lamb ewes over the last few weeks have picked up across marts, as expected for the time of year. However, to date, the trade for these pregnant ewes has been sluggish, with the exception of some special entries of in-lamb ewes.
In a way, its bit like deja vu; it goes back to last autumn when the breeding sales were in full swing.
The previous year (2020), the trade was going well across the board. Farmers who ran a dry-hogget system took the chance and kept more ewe lambs, while others tried their arm, bought ewe lambs and sold them on the following year as dry hoggets.
It was thought that a strong trade would be seen for hogget ewes and so, what happened then was not what many had hoped for.
Supply outstripping demand
The one snag was that the number of farmers looking to buy these hoggets and put a ram to them hadn’t increased and as such, supply outstripped demand.
The same issue is cropping up again now with in-lamb ewes. From visiting marts myself and talking to mart managers and auctioneers, there doesn’t seem to be enough buyers to purchase these ewes.
It’s not just that there aren’t buyers for these in-lamb ewes, that’s just part of the problem. Some people I have spoken to say that people don’t want the work involved with lambing these ewes down.
However, even though this is part of it, there are other reasons too, such as in cases you don’t know what you’re buying in, the cost of feeding these ewes for the next few weeks until they lamb down, and just with the way the input costs have spiralled some are saying to themselves that they have had enough without buying in any more.
Another problem is the ageing profile of sheep farmers. Only recently did I hear the former sheep chair of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Sean Dennehy calling on more to be done to encourage young people into the sector.
Just from my own eyes, it’s obvious to see those that have been selling in-lamb ewes have not been getting close to what they wanted and had expected a much better demand than what they are seeing currently – something many witnessed a few months back with the hogget ewes.
Silver lining
In saying that, it’s not to say that it has all been bad. Some very good prices have been achieved for in-lamb ewes in recent weeks.
However, it is clear to see that many buying are looking at buying a few store lambs, particularly ewes or ewes with lambs at foot instead.