Issues with the supply of lamb from New Zealand to the United Kingdom (UK) is having a knock-on effect with the sheep trade in Ireland.
Shipping through the Suez canal has recently become impossible for some ships, which have instead re-routed around the Cape of Good Hope in the south of Africa.
However, this has made the import of New Zealand lamb to the UK expensive, with Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara telling Agriland that it is “cheaper to buy the lamb here [in Ireland]”, as opposed to shipping it from the southern hemisphere, which has driven Irish prices up.
McNamara said that the top prices for hoggets this week in the sheep trade are ranging from €7.80-8.10/kg, adding that the trade is “very good” at the moment.
A factory procurement manager told Agriland that currently, “demand is good and the supply is half-decent”.
They added that many of the sheep coming into the factories lately are store lambs that were bought, and that these farmers who bought the stores are now bringing in a “scatter of heavy and a scatter or light” weight hoggets.
They said this particular trend, “seems to be the way this time of year”.
Hogget and lamb prices
Kildare Chilling has increased it’s offering for hoggets/lambs by 20c/kg at the start of this week in the sheep trade, and provided a quote for farmers yesterday (Monday, March 4) of €7.70/kg, plus a 10c QA bonus up to 23kg for hoggets/lambs – a total of €7.80/kg.
They are offering €5.00/kg for light hoggets/lambs under 15kg, or those that are grading from an O2 to P1.
Irish Country Meats (ICM) moved its hogget price by 30c/kg up to a base price of €7.70/kg, plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, which is a total of €7.90/kg.
Other outlets are quoting €7.65/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus, bringing their price offerings up to €7.80/kg, and these are paying up to 23kg also.
Ewe prices
In it’s quotes for today only, Kildare Chilling has offered €3.10/kg plus a 10c QA bonus for ewes from 23kg to 35kg, a total of €3.20/kg and an increase of 10c/kg.
For ewes between 35kg to 43kg, Kildare Chilling offered farmers €3.30/kg plus a 10c QA bonus, a total of €3.40/kg for a better type ewe and an increase of 10c/kg since last week.
Ewes under 23kg and rams weighing up to 43kg are both being quoted at €2.50/kg by Kildare Chilling today.
ICM is offering €3.40/kg for heavy ewes, a 20c/kg increase, while other outlets are offering €3.30/kg plus a 10c QA bonus for a ewe up to 35kg, a total of €3.30/kg.