Sheep Council Report September 2020

Market Report

• Lamb Price Update: 31/08/2020. Trade stronger, good demand. QA lambs €5.20/5.50 to 21.5kg. Producer groups making up to €5.55. Ewes €2.65/2.85.
• Supplies: Wk 33 (10/08/2020 – 16/08/2020). 52,586 sheep were slaughtered at Sheep export premises Week commencing 10/8/2020 compared to 66,960 in the same week 2019. Sheep slaughterings for 2020 are 5.8% up on 2019 at 1,758,056 head.
• Live Trade: Total live exports stood at 1,835 head to the end of June 2020.
• Select and Sell: In selling, select carefully and avoid over weight and under finished lambs. As always, the advice is to move lambs as they become fit.
• UK Lamb Prices: Lamb price for last week was £4.65/kg, which equates to €5.16/kg.
• As a result of covid-19 factory closures and the end of Eid festival, lamb prices dropped briefly during August but are on the rise again.
• Breeding sales: Breeding sales extremely strong.
• Store trade: Good store lamb trade
• IFA will continue to publish lamb price updates twice weekly and all of the latest data is available here.
• Weekly kill data:

Activity Since last Council

• Ongoing contact with DAFM, Bord Bia, Sheep Ireland and lamb factories on sheep issues.
• Weekly publication of IFA Beef and Sheep Update and update of IFA WhatsApp groups on a weekly basic.

Upcoming issues

• Meeting with Teagasc to discuss the economic, environmental and social contributions of the Irish sheep sector. We understand that Teagasc have done a considerable amount of work in these areas and the Chairman wishes to gain a full understanding of this in order to help advance the IFA case for more support for the Irish sheep sector.
• Meeting with MII Cormac Healy to discuss the base price and get an update in relation to the enhancement of the Quality Assurance scheme.
• Meeting with DAFM The rollover and enhancement of the current sheep welfare scheme and the €30/ewe targeted support scheme, Setting up a sheep industry working group, Live lamb importation figures from NI and also from lamb originating in Scotland, England and Wales, Market access and EID, Trade deals and Brexit, TRQ, Covid-19,  Dog control, The wool market.

Chair	Sean Dennehy
Policy Officer	Anna Daly