The number of breeding ewes in Ireland is forecast to decline this year, in line with the trend of falling numbers of ewes forecast across Europe, according to Bord Bia’s sheep meat sector manager, Seamus McMenamin.
Speaking at the Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar 2024, which took place at the Killashee Hotel, in Naas, Co. Kildare, on Friday, January 19, McMenamin also noted that there will be a higher carryover of store lambs in 2024. He estimates this figure to be at approximately 40,000 head.
The Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar is an annual event that sees industry personnel and stakeholders in the meat industry from across Ireland gather to hear the latest information and market outlooks for the year ahead.
On a positive note, he said that Irish sheep meat prices are starting 2024 ahead of 2023 levels and said that he expects “some recovery in export demand” but noted that a shift in product types is expected.
The graph below gives an overview of lamb prices in 2023 across Ireland and a number of other key lamb-producing countries:
His presentation outlined that in 2023, the value of Irish sheep meat exports was €440 million, down 7% while the volume of Irish sheep meat exports was 77,000 tonnes which was no change on the previous year.
Breaking down the export destinations for sheep meat, the EU remains the key area of focus with €324 million going to the region in 2023.
Meanwhile, sheep meat exports to the UK was valued at €69 million while exports of Irish sheep meat to Switzerland was valued at €49 million.
In 2023, there were a total of 2.87 million sheep processed at Irish factories. While the hogget kill increased by 80,000 head, the lamb kill fell by 75,000 head while the ewe and ram kill fell by 53,000 head.
A total of 430,000 sheep were imported from Northern Ireland in 2023. 340,000 of these went directly to slaughter while the remaining 90,000 sheep imported were for stores or breeding sheep. 30,000 sheep were exported from Ireland in 2023.