Lost tags at point of sale: NSIS rules require all sheep leaving the holding of origin for direct slaughter to be at least tagged with a single electronic tag. Sheep traded in marts or farm-to-farm must be tagged with an EID tag set comprising an electronic tag and a corresponding conventional tag.

In cases where tags are lost there are some allowances permitted to the rules above provided sheep possess at least one tag.

Management depends on whether the point of sale is acting as Central Point of Recording (CPR) or not. The Department of Agriculture’s guidelines for CPRs details advice on how sheep presented with lost tags should be handled.

It states that where an animal has been double-tagged with an EID device and a corresponding conventional tag and one of these is missing on presentation the animal can be accepted without the need to apply a new tag provided it is accompanied by the correct documentation and there is evidence that a second tag had been applied.

If the missing tag is the electronic tag then it is the responsibility of the CPR to manually read the tag number from the conventional tag and record it on the tag printout document.

Where sheep are presented to a mart with a single EID tag and there is no evidence to indicate that a corresponding conventional tag was originally applied, then the rules state these animals must be retained from being traded until it is identified with an EID tag set. Where sheep are presented to a premises which is not acting as a CPR then the tag numbers of all animals presented must be recorded on the dispatch document. The full tag number including the flock identifier must be recorded where there are sheep of different origin.

Marketing lambs: Lamb quotes have increased significantly in recent weeks but there is variation in some plants between what is quoted and prices being paid to sellers with greater negotiating power. Demand is strong and will remain this way for the next 10 days to two weeks with purchasing taking place to fill orders for the Christmas market.

It is worth assessing and deciding if the factory, mart or direct trade with butchers/wholesalers is the best option. In some cases it could be a combination of these for lambs that best fit different market requirements. The starting point is weighing lambs to establish the likely carcase weight.

Finished wether and ewe lambs with a nice cover of flesh will typically average 44% to 45% kill-out whereas strong fleshed ram lambs can dip to 41% to 42% kill-out with the weight of the head, testicles and legs having a greater influence. Lambs on ad-lib meal will also kill higher than those finished off grass. Where presenting lambs in mart sales it is important to present sheep in uniform batches to attract maximum competition.

Silage analysis: Initial reports indicate a big variation in silage analysis again this year. The starting point in developing a winter feeding programme is to get your silage analysed. Teagasc and CAFRE can arrange to have samples tested while a number of co-ops and merchants are now also offering the service.