Kerry County Council unanimously passed a motion this week to seek a subsidy from Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue for feeding light hill lambs.

The motion was raised at a meeting on Monday by Councillor Dan McCarthy who is also manager of Kenmare Mart.

The trade for light hill lambs and, in particular, light Scottish Blackface lambs has collapsed this year, with prices running from €12 to €20 below the corresponding period in 2021.

Challenging trade

The most challenging trade is for lambs less than 28kg, with prices struggling to hit €2/kg and falling back to as low as €1.60/kg to €1.70/kg for poorer-quality lots weighing back to as low as 20kg.

Sample prices from the recent sale in Kenmare show 20kg lambs selling at €28 and €34/head, 24kg lambs at €31 and €40/head and 27kg at €47/head.

There are three factors outlined as affecting the trade. Many farms in the midlands and east who would normally purchase lambs from hill regions have struggled to recover from the drought and with record fertiliser prices, there was a lower appetite to apply fertiliser to drive grass growth.

Specialist finishers

Specialist finishers who would normally purchase such lambs to finish on an intensive concentrate diet have not started purchasing lambs in any great numbers due to concentrate prices running €100 to €150 higher than the corresponding period in 2021.

McCarthy explains the high concentrate prices have also discouraged farmers from feeding light lambs, with sheep being presented in cases in poorer condition and a few kilos lighter than normal.

The trade for heavier hill lambs has also been hit hard but McCarthy explains that there are at least buyers active in this category with prices ranging from €2/kg to €2.20/kg.