The strong carry-over of hoggets from last season’s lamb crop is continuing to prop up the weekly sheep kill according to Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) figures.
Just under 9,300 hoggets were processed in the week ending Sunday, June 18. This figure is over 5,500 head above the equivalent week last year.
A total of 956,382 hoggets have been processed to date this year, up 70,597 head or 8% on 2022 levels.
The table below gives an overview of the sheep kill in the first 26 weeks of this year compared to the same time period last year:
2023 2023 2022 2022 Difference Difference 23 vs. 22 % diff. 23 vs. 22 % diff. Type Weekly Cumulative Weekly Cumulative Weekly Cumulative Weekly Cumulative Hoggets 9,294 956,382 3,770 885,785 5524 70,597 147% 8% Spring lambs 37,200 187,907 42,598 233,767 -5,398 – 45,860 -13% -20% Ewes 6,003 127,552 6,905 129,044 -902 -1,492 -13% -1% Light lambs 4 116 5 89 -1 27 -20% 30% Total 52,501 1,271,957 53,278 1,248,685 -777 23,272 -1% 2%
While the hogget kill is up this year, the spring lamb supply is back 20% or 45,860 head on last year.
The cumulative sheep kill to date this year is up by 2% or 23,272 head and only for the large carry over of last year’s hoggets, numbers this year would be back substantially.
The graph below shows the overall sheep kill in the first 24 weeks of this year compared to last year:
The Muslim festival Eid al Adha is set to get underway in the second half of next week and the event traditionally sees a surge in demand for Irish lamb.
Looking at the graph above, the highest weekly kill last year took place the week in advance of the Muslim festival last year.
It will be interesting to see how supplies fare out in the coming week as demand is expected to be high and supplies are suspected to be tight.