Exports of lamb from Northern Ireland (NI) to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) for direct processing are running ahead of 2021 levels to date this year.
According to the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC), the increased number of lambs going south is to counteract reduced domestic lamb availability.
For the week ending August 13, there were 4,898 lambs exported from NI to the ROI for direct slaughter.
This takes total lamb exports, the LMC said, during the last 20 weeks (from the week ending April 2 to the week ending August 13) to 90,142 head – which represents a 16.8% increase from the same period last year when a total of 77,155 lambs were exported for direct processing.
the same period of 2021 and 2020. Source: DAERA
Despite the year-on-year increase, 2022 levels remain 8.2%, or 8,062 head behind 2020 when 98,204 lambs were exported to the ROI for direct slaughter during the corresponding period of analysis from the week ending April 4, to the week ending August 13, 2020.
During 2022, up to the week ending August 13, 155,447 lambs were exported to the ROI for processing, which accounts for 39% of total lamb output from the NI sheep flock, while the remaining 61% have been processed in plants in NI.
Furthermore, there has been a substantial fall in the number of ewes and rams being exported from NI to the ROI for direct slaughter during 2022 to date compared to year-earlier levels, the LMC said.