Lamb Market Contuines to Strengthen

IFA National Sheep Chairman Sean Dennehy has said the lamb market continues to drive on this week with farmers securing €5.65/kg for lambs and prices reported as high as €5.85/kg for larger lots. In addition, he said the ewe trade was active with factories paying €3.20 plus for lots.

Sean Dennehy said farmers who have fed lambs at a very high cost this winter need to ensure they are getting full value for their stock at this time. He urged farmers to make sure to shop around and to not just accept the base price on offer from the agent or factory.

On the clean sheep policy, Sean Dennehy said IFA met with senior vets in the Department again last week and highlighted the unacceptable problems and costs associated with the overzealous implementation of the policy by the Department. He said that again this week there were some examples of Department vets acting over the top on the issue and sending home or back lambs.

The IFA Sheep farmer leader said it is totally unacceptable the way some factories have pushed all of the cost associated with the clean sheep policy back on top of farmers, “We have examples this week where some farmers were being charged an additional €1.50 to €1.70 per head just to transport lambs out and back a short distance from the plant to be clipped. On top of this they had to pay the clipping charge. This is not acceptable and the Department and the factories need to come to an arrangement quickly which eliminates sending lambs back from a meat plant.”