Sheep kill: Spring lamb throughput hits over 43,500 head last week

Last week’s sheep kill (week ending June 6) saw an increase once again on the week before – up over 5,800 head, figures from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) reveal.

Of the sheep killed, spring lamb throughput continues to make up the bulk of the kill, as hogget supplies continue to tail off.

Furthermore, the ewe and ram kill for the week ending June 6, witnessed an increase on the previous week.

For the week ending June 6, 52,729 sheep were processed – which was an increase of 5,801 head from the week before.

This increase was helped by a strong lamb kill, which was up over 7,700 head on the previous week.

The number of spring lambs slaughtered during the week ending June 6, accumulated to 43,549 head – which is an increase of 7,701 head on the previous week.

Ewe and ram throughput totalled 6,056 head– up 503 head on the week before.

Hogget throughput for the week ending June 6, totalled 3,122 – back 2,401 head on the week previous.

WEEK-ON-WEEK SHEEP KILL (WEEK ENDING JUNE 6):

Hoggets: 3,122 head (-2,401 or -43.47%);
Ewes and rams: 6,056 head (+503 or +9.05%);
Spring lambs: 43,549 head (+7,701 or +21.48%);
Total: 52,729 head (+5,801 or +12.36%).

Sheep kill to date

Taking a look at this year’s throughput figures to date, 1,001,500 sheep have been processed thus far.

Of that figure, 689,189 have been hoggets, while 189,564 have consisted of spring lambs.

Ewe and ram throughput makes up the rest at 122,643 head.

If we compare figures to date this year, against the same period in 2020, we can see that the total number of sheep slaughtered is back 78,855 head.

89,152 fewer hoggets have been processed in comparison to the same period last year.

While 10,454 fewer ewes and rams have been slaughtered as well, with only spring lamb throughput seeing an increase on this time last year (up 20,675 head).