While the price for lamb has continued to hold for the last number of weeks, the demand for heavier lambs for processing has also persisted.
Farmers have had a tough year with the weather impacting the performance of lambs which has had a major influence on the weights of lambs at weaning, finishing, and at slaughter.
ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association) sheep chair Willie Shaw commented on the weights of lambs at slaughter, and said that while the lambs may be weighing “okay on the scales”, he said that farmers were finding that their lambs were killing out at 40%, while these producers were normally be reaching up to 45%.
These poor killouts were being put down to the “lack of grass” that did not “have the same power” as in previous years.
This week, Irish Country Meats (ICM) has risen the weights it is paying to up to 23kg, an increase of 0.5/kg since last week.
Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) national sheep chair Adrian Gallagher had told Agriland that in recent weeks, the increase of the carcass weights that processors are paying up to is a “signal that they’re not getting enough heavy lambs” as Gallagher explained that normally processors would raise this weight towards November.
Spring lamb
This week, Irish Country Meats (ICM) is offering €7.00/kg plus a 20c quality assurance (QA) bonus, bringing its offering to €7.20/kg up to a 23kg carcass weight for a spring lamb – the same price as last week.
Other outlets have offered €7.05/kg plus a QA bonus of 15c/kg, a total of €7.20/kg for a spring lamb.
Cull ewes
ICM is paying €3.70/kg for ewes, while other processors are paying €3.60/kg for ewes, and are offering €3.70/kg for ewes that are weighing over 30kg.
Some processors are offering €3.80/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for ewes weighing from 35kg to 43kg, and €3.30/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for ewes weighing from 23kg to 35kg.