The sheep kill figures for the last week of November and the beginning of December have shown that the supply of spring lambs crossed 48,000/head.
Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that 55,840 sheep were processed last week (week ending Sunday, December 3), which is a significant decrease of 3,874 head from the week prior.
The table below gives an overview of the sheep kill for the week ending Sunday, December 3, (week 48) and the cumulative kill to date this year, compared to the same time period in 2022.
Type 2023
week 482023 cumulative 2022 weekly 2022 cumulative Weekly
differenceCumulative difference 23 vs. 22 % weekly difference 23 vs. 22 % cumulative difference Lambs/hoggets 2,211 988,648 438 905,173 1,773 83,475 405% 9% Spring lambs 48,083 1,349,265 52,560 1,429,956 -4,477 -80,691 -9% -6% Ewes and rams 5,542 311,512 6,682 361,255 -500 -49,743 -17% -14% Light lambs 4 153 0 147 4 6 – 4% Total 55,840 2,649,578 59,680 2,696,531 -3,840 -46,953 -6% -2%
Taking a look at this year’s throughput figures to date, 2,649,578 have been processed so far.
Of that figure, 988,648 have been hoggets, 1,349,265 were spring lambs, with the rest made up of ewes and rams (311,512) and a small portion of light lambs (153 head).
In week 48, there were 48,083 spring lambs slaughtered, and a total of 1,349,265 in 2023 so far.
Spring lambs made up 86% of the throughput in week 48 of this year, while ewes and rams were 9.9% of the sheep slaughtered that week.
The lead up to Christmas this year will be a busy time in the sheep trade, as demand for lamb from factories and marts continues.
David Faughnan of Ballymote Mart told Agriland said that next week, buyers at sheep sales will be keen to get hold of heavy lambs in time for the Christmas market.
Ahead of the final sheep sale of 2023 at Ballymote Mart next week, Faughnan urged farmers to get their heavier lambs to the mart and said these lambs would then be available for “Christmas week and the new year”.