Sheep trade: Factories pull prices for both spring lambs and hoggets

The sheep trade once again is coming under pressure, with factories pulling prices for both spring lambs and hoggets this week – substantially.

Compared to this time last week, spring lamb prices are back as much as 40c/kg at least, if not more in cases, with hogget prices also back as much as 50-60c/kg on this time last week.

Today at sales (Monday, April 26), prices for spring lambs and hoggets were back, with one mart manager calling spring lambs easier by €10/head and hoggets easier by €7-8/head.

Last week, factories were making moves to pull prices for both spring lambs and hoggets, with no factories quoting – although the trade held firm with prices for spring lambs and hoggets hitting the €8.30/kg and €8.00/kg mark respectively.

While the mart trade also held strong for factory-fit sheep last week.

This week, some factories have again chosen to not show their hand, with only Irish Country Meats (ICM) showing its cards.

ICM is offering a base price of €7.50/kg plus a 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) bonus for spring lambs and €7.00/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for hoggets.

When contacted, Kildare Chilling and Kepak Athleague said they weren’t quoting for lambs, hoggets or ewes.

At the top end of the market, spring lamb prices are ranging from €7.70/kg to €7.90/kg, while hogget prices, at the top end of the market, are running from €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg.

Elsewhere, the ewe trade is holding firm, with no real move off prices on offer last week.

SPRING LAMB QUOTES:

Kildare Chilling: No quote;
ICM: 750c/kg + 10c/kg QA;
Kepak Athleague: No quote.

HOGGET QUOTES:

Kildare Chilling: No quote;
ICM: 700c/kg + 10c/kg QA;
Kepak Athleague: No quote.

CAST EWE QUOTES:

Kildare Chilling: No quote;
ICM: 300c/kg;
Kepak Athleague: No quote.

ICSA reaction

Speaking about the sheep trade and the cuts in prices, Sean McNamara, the sheep chairperson of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) said: “Completely unjustified.

“It’s an awful pull in prices. Spring lamb prices are back 40-50c/kg and hoggets are back as much as 70c/kg.

“It’s scandalous really and I’d be telling farmers to go the mart and not entertain the factories at all.

“There is still a strong demand there so I can’t understand where these cuts are coming from.

“What makes matters even worse was the 23t of sheepmeat imported from the UK to one of the Irish plants over the last 24 hours. It’s just ridiculous carry on.”

Throughput

For the week ending April 18, the sheep kill amounted to 47,822 – an increase of 9,865 head.

Sharp increases were seen in all categories – spring lamb, hogget, ewe and ram throughput. The number of hoggets processed came to 37,573 head – an increase of 6,138 head.

Spring lamb throughput for the week ending April 18, totalled 5,245 head – which was a rise of 2,748 head on the week before.

Ewe and ram throughput amounted to 4,999 head – which also saw an increase, this time of 977 head.

WEEK-ON-WEEK SHEEP KILL SUPPLIES (WEEK ENDING APRIL 18):

Hoggets: 37,573 head (+6,138 or +19.52%);
Ewes and rams: 4,999 head (+977 or +24.29%);
Spring lambs: 5,245 head (+1,107 or +110%);
Total: 47,822 head (+9,865 or +25.98%).

Looking at throughput figures to date, 684,630 sheep have been processed thus far.

Of that figure, 597,306 head have been hoggets, while 9,132 have consisted of spring lambs.

Ewe and ram throughput makes up the rest – at 78,102 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 58,388 head.

51,140 fewer hoggets have been processed to date in comparison to the same period last year.

10,266 fewer ewes and rams have been slaughtered as well, with only spring lamb throughput seeing an increase on the same period last year (up 2,946 head).