The hogget trade in sheep marts across the country is proving to be a source of frustration for some farmers bringing their hoggets and lambs to factories.
There is demand for lamb as the Muslim festival of Ramadan commenced on Sunday, March 10, and buying is in full swing from the factories to meet demand.
However, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Sheep Committee chair, Adrian Gallagher, has said farmers are coming to him “frustrated” due to the hogget trade at marts being better than what farmers in producer group schemes are getting for their lambs in factories.
Gallagher explained that these producer groups, and regular farmers, are not being paid as much from the factories for their lambs when compared to those at the marts.
It is at the marts, the IFA sheep chair said, where factory agents are buying lambs at higher prices than those paid to farmers in the factories.
“Prices for lambs are great, but there’s a higher price to be sought at marts for finished lambs than the regular farmers going into the factory,” he said.
Gallagher said “factories are holding back on what they should be able to pay a farmer, but yet they are able to have their own agents at the mart,” who he said are “prepared to pay a good 50c/kg more”.
Heavy hoggets have recently seen to be making over €200/head, with the additional mart fees of roughly €4-5 on a heavy lamb, with Gallagher saying the factory agents are willing to pay this at the marts.
These higher mart prices are paying more to farmers, Gallagher said, than the producer groups who are currently securing €8.20-8.30/kg this week from factories.
Base prices for hoggets this week from factories are now standing at between €7.85-8.05/kg, with quality assured (QA) hoggets reaching €8.05-8.20/kg.