Drafting of lambs on Tullamore Farm is running on target, with approximately 55% of lambs drafted for sale/identified for retaining as replacements. A total of 147 lambs have been slaughtered so far across four dates, as detailed in Table 1, with another 30 ewe lambs selected for breeding in 2025.

The average sale price for the year-to-date is running at €174.46/head, which equates to an increase of €22/head compared to the corresponding period in 2024. The number of lambs drafted is also running slightly ahead of 2024 levels. The average liveweight of lambs drafted is just over 45kg, while the average killout percentage is 46.3% – which is marginally behind 2024 levels. The average cold weight of each carcase is 21.06kg, while the average paid weight is 20.62kg.

With grass supplies in a good position, farm manager Shaun Diver is trying to achieve the best balance between maximising sale value and avoiding lambs going overweight. Approximately 60kg of free meat has been delivered, with a significant volume of this on the first draft.

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Lambs are being drafted at a range of liveweights depending on the type of lamb. For example, ram lambs are currently being drafted in the region of 47kg to 49kg for progeny of Mule and Easycare ewes, while Charollais-cross lambs off Texel and Suffolk x Mule-cross ewes are in cases being selected a couple of kilos lighter. Ewe lambs for slaughter are being selected anywhere from 43kg to 48kg live, with fat cover a big consideration when drafting. As detailed in Table 1 fat cover has been bang on target.

Lambs continue to be finished on grass, with no concentrates fed to lambs reared by mature ewes. Shaun is monitoring performance and will introduce restricted concentrates to ram lambs if he feels performance is dipping or hitting fat cover targets is becoming an issue.

Cull ewes

There was also a batch of 19 cull ewes slaughtered recently and marketed through the Offaly Quality Lamb Producer Group and slaughtered in Irish Country Meats Camolin plant. The carcase weight of ewes ranged from 20kg to a top of 52kg, and averaged 36.36kg.

The maximum paid carcase weight is 45kg with a top sale price of €211.50. The price per kilo was €4.60/kg with the average price of €4.48/kg diluted by one O2 ewe with a 20kg carcase paid at a price of €2.50/kg. The next lightest ewe in the batch was 30.8kg.

OPA scanning

Scanning took place last weekend for Ovine Pulmonary Adrencarcomia or OPA. As reported in previous articles the disease which manifests as tumour growth on the lungs of sheep resulting in eventual death was identified in spring following the submission of three suspect ewes to the Athlone Regional Veterinary Laboratory.

Scanning was carried out by The Sheep Vet health and fertility veterinary service run by Patrick Grant in Kilcoo, Co Down. The practice specialises in OPA scanning with the lungs of each sheep scanned by ultrasound thoracic scanning.

Shaun reports that five ewes were identified for immediate culling with four of these identified as showing signs of OPA while one hogget was identified as having a large lung abscess. Another eight sheep were marked as having potential lung issues with six of these showing possible slight lung damage, and two others with damage which is thought to have been related to pleurisy.

Shaun will consult with the farm’s vet Donal Lynch on the next steps to deal with the disease. It is likely that the ewes in question will be scanned again at a later date to see if there are any signs of the disease progressing, while scanning of the entire flock will take place again in the future. The aim of scanning is to identify and remove any sheep which pose a risk of spreading the disease, while also realising a significant sale value by identifying the disease early.