A total of 4.9% of live sheep exports from the Republic of Ireland in 2023 have gone to Northern Ireland (NI) and the United Kingdom (UK).
Figures from the latest Meat Market Report supplied by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have shown live sheep exports from Q1 to Q3 totalled 16,817, as of September 30, 2023.
A total of 598 live sheep were exported to NI, with an additional 224 exported to the UK.
With a total of 822 live sheep exported to the the UK and NI, this represents just 4.9% of the total number of Irish live sheep exports between Q1 and Q3 in 2023.
France was the destination for the highest number of sheep exports between Q1 and Q3, totalling 10,302.
Belgium was the country that had the third highest number of live sheep exported (3,631), followed by Holland, the destination for 2,061 sheep.
Imports
The number of sheep imported into Ireland in September 2023 stands at just over 30,000 head, a lower figure than September 2022, which saw over 40,000.
September 2022 was the month that had the highest number of sheep imported into Ireland last year, with the month with the lowest numbers being June.
The month with the highest number of sheep imported into Ireland in 2023 to date was January, which saw over 43,000 sheep brought into the country.
The lowest number of sheep imported into Ireland in a single month was in May, which saw just over 25,000.
Prices
The most recent national weekly price for a deadweight sheep between 13-21.5kg and being less than 12 months of age in Ireland was €616.59/100kg, which is a 0.9% increase since the figure of the same time period in 2022, when the price stood at €610.93/100kg.
The year-to-date (YTD) average price in 2023 is €666.38/100kg, but this is a 3.9% decrease since the YTD average in 2022, which was €693.45/100kg.
Country Prices €/100kg in Week 41, commencing October 8, 2023 France €820.0 Spain €799.3 Croatia €965.8 Ireland €616.6 Netherlands €608.7 Germany €818.0
Prices elsewhere in the EU showed variation, with prices as low as €387.4/100kg in Romania, to the highest prices in Croatia.
Prices in Italy stood at €593.0/100kg in week 41, while Lithuanian prices were €646.7/100kg.