The total number of sheep slaughtered to date this year has surpassed two million head, according to latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
A total of 58,846 sheep was slaughtered in week 38 (ending Sunday, September 24), and taking a look at this year’s throughput figures to date, 2,063,995 sheep have been processed so far.
Of that figure, 980,494 have been hoggets, 854,997 were spring lambs, with the rest made up of ewes and rams (228,370), and a small portion of light lambs (134 head).
The table below gives an overview of the sheep kill for the week ending Sunday, September 24, (week 38) and the cumulative kill to date this year compared to the same time period of 2022:
Type 2023
week 382023 cumulative 2022 weekly 2022 cumulative Weekly
differenceCumulative difference 23 vs. 22 % weekly difference 23 vs. 22 % cumulative difference Lambs/Hoggets 226 980,494 1,211 899,097 -985 81,397 -81% 9% Spring Lambs 48,479 854,997 52,124 925,842 -3,645 -70,845 -7% -8% Ewes and Rams 10,140 228,370 12,763 263,914 -2,623 -35,544 -21% -13% Light Lambs 1 134 1 114 0 20 -0% 18% Total 58,846 2,063,995 66,099 2,088,967 -7,253 -24,972 -11% -1%
In week 38, there were 48,479 spring lambs slaughtered, and a total of 854,997 have been slaughtered in 2023 so far.
As can be seen from the table above, the supply of spring lambs is back by 8% or 70,845 head on the same time period last year.
Ewe and ram throughput totalled 10,140 in week 38, bringing the total figure so far in 2023 to 228,370 slaughtered.
As the graph above indicates, the factory sheep supply dropped off significantly in week 38 of this year, but increased in the same week last year.
As the table above indicates, the sheep kill in week 38 was 58,846 head, down 7,253 head or 11% compared to the same week of last year.
The overall sheep kill is down by 1% or 24,972 head.