Farmer views: input costs are up, but sheep prices are back

Ahascragh, Ballinasloe, Co Galway

“I believe that there’s a slight improvement on sheep at the moment. It’s not there yet, there’s a good way to go, but there is a slight improvement. I think that the Chinese market is helping the prices. If it wasn’t for that market, we would have very little. I’m a calf to beef farmer, but I’m thinking of expanding my flock instead of my cattle herd this year. There’s smaller profits to be made, but at least there might be some profit.”

Brownsgrove, Tuam, Co Galway

“Sheep are not good at the moment. They’re about €10 back from this time last year. The strike really affected trade for the sheep as the sheep were being kept from the factories too. All the input costs have gone up, but the sheep are back. Strangely enough, the breeding ewes and hoggets were more expensive this year. We’d need another €20 to €30/head to get our profits back even to last year. I hope the prices start rising soon.”

Tuam, Co Galway

“I think the sheep market is improving slightly, but we’re only getting now what we were getting 10 years ago. Most sheep farmers seem to be older now and the younger people aren’t as interested. They seem to be getting full-time jobs and sheep farming is more like a hobby to them. I have sucklers too, but whatever money is in the farm at the moment, it’s in the sheep. There’s nothing in the sucklers at all.”