By John Brooks, beef and sheep farmer in Co. Roscommon

The current, relatively stable status of lamb prices is totally due to the temporary, seasonal scarcity of supply – coupled with Easter and Ramadan religious celebrations.

This reality is cold comfort for our market prospects ahead.

In my opinion, sheep meat products will face the same collapse that other meat products have since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most alarming fact is the world-wide backlog in meat products – especially beef and lamb – that has to be marketed before we drystock farmers can expect any sort of a return to normality.

This ‘overhang’, as it’s referred to in economic terms, will most likely continue to put downward pressure on price in the short-to-medium term. The response from Government and from the European Union to date has been very weak.

I don’t believe the Aids to Private Storage (APS) on its own will be near sufficient – and most likely, if it’s used, it may be abused by processors for their financial gain.

Any toolbox of market support must include direct financial support to farmers.

Wool market collapse

Sheep farmers, unfortunately, are usually on the hind tit when it comes to direct aid. The wool market collapse is a prime example; hardly a mention anywhere.

Sheep farmers are now facing the huge financial burden of the costs associated with shearing.

The wool market is dead. Some merchants will take a risk and gamble €0.15/kg to €0.20/kg for lowland wool – which is roughly €0.40/fleece to €0.50/fleece.

This price wouldn’t cover the cost of transporting the wool to the merchant’s premises. I won’t hazard a guess at what price is on offer for mountain sheep wool.

Sheep welfare issues may arise out of this market collapse. This crisis has to be addressed in the short-term in the form of EU-wide market support.

The current crisis affords the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, the opportunity to put in place a bolt-on measure of €5.00/sheep to the current Sheep Welfare Scheme.

This would help to use up the underspend in the sheep welfare budget – and be a small, direct financial support to sheep farmers.

We drystock farmers need immediate, concrete actions from Government and the EU if our businesses and livelihoods are to survive the Covid-19 economic crash.