Sheep trade: Dirty sheep being presented to the factory becoming a problem

The bad weather over the past few weeks is making it difficult for farmers to present sheep to factories that comply with the Clean Livestock Policy (CLP).

A number of factories have reported instances where sheep have been turned away due to having dirty fleeces – in other words, falling into category C of the CLP.

One factory, in particular, said: “Last week, I’d say just less than 500 sheep were turned away. It is difficult, especially with the weather we are getting, for farmers to keep their animals in good nick.

However, there are only two options: either we clip them here in the factory; or the farmer themselves tidy them up at home on the farm.

“Hopefully, over the next few weeks, the weather clears up, because the last thing we want to do is turn away sheep from the factory gate.”

Getting back to the quotes currently on offer from factories, it seems momentum gathered up over the last three weeks has come to a halt.

This week, Kepak Athleague is the only one to move its price, by increasing its base quote by 5c/kg.

Kildare Chilling and Irish Country Meats remain as they were last week, offering a base quote of 580c/kg and 570c/kg respectively.

Farmers involved in producer groups are securing prices of up to between 600c/kg and 610c/kg (up to a carcass weight of between 22.5kg and 23kg).

At current market prices, farmers are securing between 580c/kg and 590c/kg including quality insurance (QA) bonuses.

Quotes

This week, Kildare Chilling (Monday quote) is offering a base price of 580c/kg + 10c/kg QA – no change on last week (payable up to a carcass weight of 23kg).

Kepak Athleague (Monday quote) is offering a base price of 570c/kg + 15c/kg – up 5c/kg on last week (payable up to a carcass of 22.5kg).

And, finally, Irish Country Meats (Monday quote) is offering a base price of 570c/kg + 10c/kg – no change on last week.

Overall, when the QA is factored in, this leaves quotes at 580-590c/kg.

In addition, cast ewes are making 300-310c/kg in sheep processing plants (payable up to a carcass of 40kg).

Throughput

During the week ending February 22, the number of hoggets processed decreased by 470 head and amounted to 39,255.

Cast (ewe and ram) supplies at the Department of Agriculture approved sheep export plants stood at 5,906 – a decrease of 315 – for the week ending February 22.

Furthermore, overall supplies decreased by 785 head during the week ending February 22.

Data source: Department of Agriculture

Cumulative figures for the year-to-date have reached 399,579 head, which is an increase of over 34,000 head compared to the 2019 figure of 365,478.