Agri-Business
Irish lamb has been served in the US for the first time this week, following export access being...
Sheep
Meat processor Irish Country Meats (ICM) has become the first Irish lamb processor to launch in the US market.
Prices for spring lamb received a boost this week as factories have added 10c/kg on to their quotes for suppliers.
Prices in the sheep trade this week have steadied and are holding firm after a short period of price increases in recent weeks.
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.
Pre-tax profits at a meat processing group owned by Larry Goodman last year increased by 27% to €4.05 million.
"Electronic Identification Tagging (EID) is the future of the Irish sheep sector." That's according to James Smyth of Irish Country Meats.
The decision of Luxembourg retailer Cactus to exclusively stock Irish lamb from its butcher counters has been welcomed by Bord Bia.
The EID (electronic identification) tagging debate has been rumbling on for weeks now, with the Department of Agriculture and farmers still at loggerheads over the topic.
Demand for Irish lamb is set to reach its pinnacle in the coming weeks as the Muslim festival of EID-al-Adha approaches
The prospect of sheep prices improving after Christmas looks unlikely, according to Irish Country Meats' Dermot O'Sullivan.
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.
Environment
Irish Country Meats (ICM) was fined €10,439.29 last year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for odour complaints.
