Stand off on sheep prices

By John Shirley

As we went to press this week the Irish export plants had again almost stopped killing hoggets for export as the industry waited to see the effect of all bans being lifted on exports from the UK.

Earlier in the week export plants a base of €5.12 kg (183 p a lb) and €5.32 (£1.90p/lb) flat was paid for at least one large consignment. Marts on Monday paid up to €125 which at a 47% kill out was equal to €5.32 kg carcaseweight. (Incidentally I notice that a French website on domestic hogget prices shows a price of €6.41 per kg carcaseweight. The website is found in www.ofival.fr)

The price of imported hoggets is a sheep of a different colour. Here Bord Bia is quoting €4.74 kg (31 francs a kg 176p/b) for imported lamb in mid week.

In the UK all plants are free to export lambs. Even plants that closed like Blackpool (re-opened as Penrith farmers) are back in business. However given the huge profit potential or exporting lamb from Britain in the last month or so, one would have thought that if the supply was there, the export plants would have found them before now.

A huge grass crop in New Zealand has delayed their lamb kill, but the New Zealand Meat is not able to meet the lamb demand worldwide. New Zealand lambs sales last year were UK 87,000 tonnes (100,000 in 2000) Germany 44,000 tonnes and France 30,000 tonnes. Chilled sales were 31,000 tonnes.

The lesson must be that even with the UK open there is a lot of upward pressure on sheep prices.

At the start of the week there was still sharp demand at sheep sales in Enniscorthy, Kilkenny and Athenry even if prices were back €5 to €10. In Enniscorthy butchers hoggets made from €110 to €130 and factory hoggets €100 to €116.

In Athenry heavy hoggets made €110 to €135 and factory hoggets €105 to €110.

Roscommon on Wednesday had a slow start and a small turn but the stock was still not allowed go home. Some prices include 53 kg 108 euro. 37.5 kg 80 euro.

Roscrea also on Wednesday saw 52 kg at €12. 46.5kg €112, 50kg €114.5.

The topic of the moment is the price of cull ewes and rams. €100 per head was frequently bettered in Athenry and Tuam. Here the opening of the UK market offers no threat as that is the prime outlet for the cull sheep.

The FMD cull has left the UK short of ewes. Also Irish flockowners are windy about selling ewes during retention given the hullabaloo of 2001.

Export plants are quoting €2.10/kg (75 p/lb) for ewes but I hear that €2.52 kg (90p/lb) has been paid.