Mention St. Patrick to most people within the Irish sheep industry and their minds will immediately turn to the issue of lambing ewes.
Back in the day, March 17 was the median lambing date for the sheep industry in this country.
As a boy, I well remember St. Patrick’s Day cards arriving in the post, featuring pictures of Ireland’s national saint holding young lambs.
Spring is synonymous with the arrival of lambs and the season’s link to St. Patrick has always been a very tangible one.
Sheep farming has not always been the most straightforward farming option to follow in this country.
Sheep industry
Prior to Ireland joining the EU, lamb was treated, very much as a commodity product, with prices pitched at a commensurate level.
Thankfully, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) managed to steady the ship for sheep producers, with recent years marked by a significant increase in farmgate returns.
But, all of this, I believe, is but nothing compared to the tremendous future the Irish sheep sector can look forward to.
This projection is based on the core assumption of everyone within the industry – farmers, processers and our marketing bodies – all pulling their weight in the same direction.
The reality is, that Irish sheep production ticks every consumer and environment-related box imaginable.
Firstly, the sector enjoys an extremely low carbon footprint. Fertiliser inputs are minimal while almost all of the output produced is generated from grazed grass.
All of this goes down well with consumers and the supermarkets.
However, the real prize has yet to be fully grasped. The potential for almost every sheep farmer in Ireland to transition to ‘full blown’ organic status is immense.
Again, this comes back to the extensive nature of the sector in its current form.
The EU has set very significant targets, where the evolution of organic agriculture is concerned. All of this comes back to Europe’s response to climate change.
The demand for organic food is likely to grow significantly over the coming years. What’s more, organic produce will always demand a premium price in the market.
It is said that St. Patrick’s Day represents the beginning of spring and the ‘turning of the stone’. In my opinion, I sense this has already happened for the Irish sheep industry.
So, it’s time now to convert all of this potential into fruitful reality.