Sheep kill: Throughput drops below the 50,000 head mark for last week

Last week’s sheep kill (week ending June 13) saw a decrease on the week before – down over 3,400 head, figures from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) reveal.

Decreases in the lamb, hogget, and ewe and ram kill were seen during the week ending June 13.

For the week ending June 13, 49,325 sheep were processed – which was a decrease of 3,404 head from the week before.

The number of spring lambs slaughtered during the week ending June 13, accumulated to 42,566 head – which is a decrease of 983 head on the previous week.

Ewe and ram throughput totaled 5,287 head – down 759 head on the week before.

Hogget throughput for the week ending June 13, totaled 1,472 head – back 1,650 head on the week previous.

WEEK-ON-WEEK SHEEP KILL (WEEK ENDING JUNE 13):

Hoggets: 1,472 head (-1,650 or -52.85%);
Ewes and rams: 5,287 head (-769 or -12.69%);
Spring lambs: 42,566 head (-983 or -2.25%);
Total: 49,325 head (-3,404 or -6.45%).

Sheep kill to date

Taking a look at this year’s throughput figures to date, 1,050,825 sheep have been processed thus far.

Of that figure, 690,661 have been hoggets, while 232,130 have consisted of spring lambs.

Ewe and ram throughput makes up the rest at 127,930 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 81,551 head.

90,455 fewer hoggets have been processed in comparison to the same period last year.

While 11,922 fewer ewes and rams have been slaughtered as well, with only spring lamb throughput seeing an increase on this time last year (up 20,750 head).