Sheep farmers have endured a difficult 12 months, with much higher costs felt by many last winter and spring while more recently drought has significantly increased finishing costs.
Breeding sales have been more challenging to-date in 2018.
ADVERTISEMENT
Breeding sales have been challenging to date, with prices running anywhere from €15 to €25 behind 2017 levels while clearance rates are also lower. Mart managers report sales being hampered by the difficult year, with higher costs this spring denting farmer appetite and also leading to reports of some producers cutting back numbers or switching entirely or partly from lambing to a dry hogget or store lamb system.
Drafting rates are also running well behind target on many farms and mart managers explain this is limiting the spending potential of some customers. In some of these cases they expect demand to firm in the coming weeks as spending power improves on the back of lamb drafting rates improving and direct payments commencing. Another element which they say would help to insert some confidence is stability in the factory lamb trade, with primary producers directly hit by current price negativity.
ADVERTISEMENT
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
However, if you would like to share the information in this article, you may use the headline, summary and link below:
Title: Sheep sales hampered by difficult year
Sheep farmers have endured a difficult 12 months, with much higher costs felt by many last winter and spring while more recently drought has significantly increased finishing costs.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Breeding sales have been challenging to date, with prices running anywhere from €15 to €25 behind 2017 levels while clearance rates are also lower. Mart managers report sales being hampered by the difficult year, with higher costs this spring denting farmer appetite and also leading to reports of some producers cutting back numbers or switching entirely or partly from lambing to a dry hogget or store lamb system.
Drafting rates are also running well behind target on many farms and mart managers explain this is limiting the spending potential of some customers. In some of these cases they expect demand to firm in the coming weeks as spending power improves on the back of lamb drafting rates improving and direct payments commencing. Another element which they say would help to insert some confidence is stability in the factory lamb trade, with primary producers directly hit by current price negativity.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS