Sheep farmers remain broadly optimistic with steadier lamb prices, despite the prolonged dry weather and sluggish grass growth.

This follows a more stable trend in lamb prices over the last couple of weeks after some cuts previously.

“Price are coming back up again now, so I think they’re good enough,” sheep and tillage farmer Sarah Rooney from Camolin, Co Wexford, said.

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Rooney said she is trying to get a group of lambs finished on grass and hopefully sold by the end of the month.

“You’re just trying to decide do you sell a couple of stores and get rid of them, but we try to keep them as long as we can to get the most out of them and to get the best price.”

In terms of grass, Rooney said: “We’re ok right now, but looking at how many days ahead we have, it's going to be rough coming up now if we get no rain,” she explained.

“The last paddock that they came out of, there’s very little regrowth on that, so coming into the next couple of weeks will be a danger zone I think.”

Sheep incomes

Another farmer who wishes not to be named said that prices are about the same as last year.

However, he said that overall sheep incomes are not sufficient, as the majority of young people taking over sheep farms are forced to work off-farm too to supplement their income.

Paddy Long, a sheep farmer from Bunclody, said that he is happy enough with lamb prices at the moment and that they seem to be on the rise.

“Whether they’ll hold up for when the majority of them will come on is another thing.”

Long sells the majority of his lambs in the mart: “I just prefer the option of if I’m not happy with the price, I can bring them home again - I feel like I have more control over it.”

Three or four years ago you were lucky to get €100 for a lamb, he highlighted, as he explained that prices have improved over recent years.

Organic

Long is currently in conversion to organic and he is happy with it overall. However, he pointed out that a challenge of it is getting the right nutrients into the ground, which can end up being expensive.

“I don’t have access to slurry, so I find it difficult to find some kind of nutrients, that’s the only downside."

Grass is going back with the warm, dry spell of weather over the last couple weeks, Long said, and grass mowed off for silage isn’t returning.

However, he said that up until now, it’s been a good year for grass growth and he has had an abundance of grass despite not spreading any fertiliser.