Sheep
The sheep trade this week (November 13) has kicked off positively, with factories raising the price for spring lamb by up to 25c/kg in cases.
With wet weather deteriorating ground conditions, the spotlight is coming back on the Clean Livestock Policy.
Sheep that are dirty/soiled fleeces are in danger of not meeting the Clean Livestock Policy regulations that were implemented in 2016.
With the wet weather over the last number of weeks, the task of ensuring lambs fall into category A of the CLP is made the more difficult.
The bad weather over the past few weeks is making it difficult for farmers to present sheep to factories that comply with CLP.
Lambs falling into Category C (unacceptable for slaughter) of the Clean Livestock Policy (CLP) is likely to increase as weather deteriorates.
The ICSA held a protest today at the Department of Agriculture to reflect "growing anger" over EID tagging and the clean sheep policy.
The Clean Livestock Policy (CLP) for sheep has become a major point of contention of late. Although the policy was introduced in 2016, its full implementation was deferred until the beginning of this year.
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) sheep chairman, has deep reservations about the roll out of the Clean Livestock Policy
Fears have been raised that 'dirty' lambs or sheep falling into Category C (unacceptable) of the Clean Livestock Policy will be turned away from factory gates over the coming days.
The 'Clean Livestock Policy' for sheep is a topic of much debate among farmers - particularly outdoor store finishers and those grazing fodder crops.
It's been a difficult few weeks for sheep farmers; the inclement weather, combined with lower grass quality, has seen lamb growth rates plummet on many farms.
'The spirit of the Department of Agriculture’s new Clean Livestock Policy (CLP) for sheep is being ignored by processors in favour of cashing in at the expense of producers'
Some factories' use of clean sheep policy is 'contrary' to Department policy,according to the IFA National Sheep Chairman John Lynskey.
Farmers need to ensure that their lambs, when presented for slaughter, are clean after grazing forage crops, Irish Country Meats' Dermot O'Sullivan has said.
Beef
Cattle's diet, the way they are housed and how the animals are transported all affect cattle cleanliness, according to Teagasc.
The Department of Agriculture has introduced a Clean Livestock Policy for sheep going to slaughter, similar to the one it has already for cattle.
