Sheep trade looking bright

Sheep trends by Peter Young

The sheep trade is just like the weather so far this week, settled and looking bright.

While Irish lambs are thriving under the sunshine the ending of the heat wave in France is given the trade a mini-boost. Irish fortunes were also helped by the bank holiday in the UK last Monday.

Bord Bia report Irish lamb in France are making 360c/kg incl. VAT and a further boost is expected as parents return from holidays and children return to school.

Export plants are quoting a base of 353-358c/kg (126-128p/lb) for today (Thursday). Farmers selling lamb on Monday got up to 370c/kg (132p/lb) with talk of slightly more being given later in the week. One farmer, holding out for 378c/kg (135p/lb) is 'judging by the factory response' hopeful that he will get it.

September normally marks a watershed from the turbulent summer months.

However, just like the weather, the sheep trade can change its mind. The Meat Livestock Commission are forecasting an extra half million lambs in UK from Sept to Dec but they haven't a great track record of accuracy.

UK prices did slip a little from Monday to Tuesday. On Tuesday the SQQ was 111 p stg /kg which translates into 355c/kg incl vat.

Light lamb

Irish Plants are differentiating on Mountain blackface and other light lambs presumably on basis of value of skin. Ballyhaunis are on a base of 308c/kg (110p/lb) and 350c/kg (125p/lb) for cross bred light lambs while Navan are on 308c/kg (110p/lb) and 336c/kg (120p/lb).

There has been few enough light lambs killed so far. Looking at the marts more must be going for store feeding. In Miltown mart, Kerry there was 3,000 sheep on offer, 20% more that the same week last year.

Ewe lambs made €20-25 with the weigh and crossbred wethers made €10 to 20 over. Scotch wethers have fallen over recent weeks making €2-4 with the weight. The bigger numbers ensured the trade especially for stores was not as sharp in some marts this week.

In Enniscorthy the extra large sale dropped prices. Factory lambs made €22 to 31 over and store lambs made €20 to 30 over. In Roscommon stores made €20 to 25 over and butcher lambs made €28 to €30 over.

Butchers lambs were back €2-3 a head in Kilkenny but in Cashel farmers now finished with the harvest pushed prices up to €30 over €7-8 up on the previous week.

The breeding trade

The breeding trade showed signs of easing slightly from the recent highs. Good ewe lambs make up to €40 over and ewe hoggets are freely making over €100 a head.

With all the demand for breeding stock there is bound to be a surge of demand for ewe premium rights in 2004.

And with nearly 500,000 premium rights gathering dust in the national reserve over the last few years there will be plenty to go around in the final year of sheep farming as we know it now.

But as the Journal survey shows, few will be sorry to see it go.