The supply of sheep to-date in 2024 has crossed over 600,000 head, the latest sheep kill figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have shown.
48,038 lambs/hoggets were slaughtered during week 12 (ending Sunday, March 24), which was 8,172 head fewer than in the previous week.
However, this is on account of the shorter four-day processing week due to the bank holiday Monday on St. Patrick’s weekend.
The sheep kill figures have also shown the small numbers of spring lambs that were slaughtered recently.
James Smyth, the general manager of ICM told Agriland that last week, when prices for the first spring lambs opened, their numbers were scarce, but he said that the condition of the first crop of spring lambs “wasn’t bad”.
The table below gives an overview of the sheep kill for week 12 and the cumulative kill to date this year, compared to the same time period in 2024.
Type 2024
week 122024 cumulative 2023 weekly 2023 cumulative Weekly
differenceCumulative difference 24 vs. 23 % weekly difference 24 vs. 23 % cumulative difference Lambs/hogget 48,038 548,337 62,115 570,179 -14,077 -21,842 -23% -4% Spring lambs 463 9,034 587 810 -124 8,224 –21% 1,015% Ewes and rams 5,413 61,276 4,377 67,112 1,036 -5,836 24% -9% Light lambs 8 37 6 44 2 -7 33% -16% Total 53,922 618,684 67,085 638,145 -13,163 -19,461 -20% -3%
Taking a look at this year’s throughput figures to date, 618,684 sheep have been processed so far.
Of that figure, 548,337 have been lambs/hoggets, 9,034 were spring lambs, with the rest made up of ewes and rams (61,276), and a small portion of light lambs (37).
This year’s supply of sheep is 19,461 head lower than the supply during the same period in 2023, a 3% decrease.