The supply of this season’s lambs and the supply of cull ewes to date this year have both fallen by 9%, according to latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
As of Sunday, August 13 (week 32), a total of 561,158 head of this season’s lambs had been slaughtered. This figure is almost 58,800 head or 9% below the same 32-week period of last year.
Looking at the ewe kill, a total of 175,442 ewes have been slaughtered this year, also down 9% or 18,000 head on the same time period last year.
The table below gives an overview of the sheep kill in the first 32 weeks of this year:
As the table above indicates, the cumulative sheep kill to date this year stands at 1.7 million head, which is only 7,500 head above the 2022 kill to date – virtually on-par.
The graph below gives an overview of weekly sheep slaughterings in 2022:
As the graph above indicates, the factory sheep supply dropped off significantly in week 32 of this year, but increased significantly in the same week last year.
DAFM figures show 10,000 fewer sheep were slaughtered in week 32 of this year when compared to last year.
The large hogget kill earlier this year has helped to prop up this year’s overall sheep kill.
Almost 980,000 head of hoggets were slaughtered this year, which is up 84,000 head or 9% on the same time period last year.
Factory sheep supplies are expected to pick up again into the closing months of the year but to what extent remains to be seen.
Breeding sales of sheep are in full swing at marts around the country presently and one of the key concerns of breeding ram buyers is if the rams are eligible for the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS-eligible). At Tullow Mart, Co. Carlow, better-type breeding hoggets were averaging €220-240/head last week.