The weekly sheep kill hit a six-year high last week with 66,887 sheep slaughtered, according to Department of Agriculture figures. Not since late August 2008 has the weekly kill exceeded the 65,000 head mark. This excludes the buying period for the Eid-Al-Adha, which usually occurs at this time of year.

For the past two weeks, the national kill has exceeded the 65,000 mark. Lambs account for approximately 55,000 of the total with ewes making up the remainder. The higher numbers have led meat processors to pull quotes this week by 10c/kg to a base of €4.30/kg after a number of weeks of price stability. Lambs are now selling at €4.50/kg to €4.60/kg, in general. Ewes are holding steady at between €2.60/kg and €2.70/kg.

Good grazing conditions this summer have seen lambs becoming fit for slaughter earlier than last year. The end result is that, for the year to date, over 1.74m sheep have been slaughtered, which is 33,925 more than in the same period last year.

Considering the national kill was running 20% behind 2013 levels back in January and February of this year, there has been a huge surge in lamb numbers killed from late spring onwards.

Furthermore, imports from Northern Ireland are running 73,000 head down on last year. The NI national kill is also running well ahead of last year, with an additional 59,000 sheep slaughtered in 2014.