Last Tuesday (April 5) Tullow Mart held a spring lamb show and sale, which saw prices reach a high of €200.
The mart’s manager, Eric Driver, said the trade on the day for spring lambs was driven by butchers, with a noticeable lack of demand from factory agents for spring lambs.
Speaking about the events that unfolded in Tullow on Tuesday, Eric told Agriland that: “The trade for the spring lambs was what it was, but it has left farmers a bit puzzled.
“There is certainly a question among farmers about what they are doing. They are producing a prime product [spring lamb] in the run in to Easter and it was the poor relation in the ring on Tuesday to the hoggets and the cast ewes.
“It’s leaving farmers questioning what they are doing by producing this prime product at a key time of the year and they feel they are not getting the return per kilo that they deserve,” Eric continued.
“Looking back to this time last year when the spring lambs first came out, prices are on a par with last year and as you know, the input costs have increased significantly since then.
“Prices topped €200 on Tuesday which is no better than last year and the reality was that the hoggets and cull ewes in particular, took the limelight over what usually would be the spring lambs.”