
Factory cuts questioned as numbers continue to drop off
Kildare Chilling and Dawn Ballyhaunis appear to be taking it in turn to quote from week to week; Dawn return on €9.00+10c/kg QA for springs and €5.40-5.60/kg for culls. They did not quote for hogget.
The factories say the trade has flatlined since Easter, with Ramadan before that not as vigorous as other years.
By contrast, IFA sheep chair Adrian Gallagher said last week that while 'Easter and Ramadan did drive strong prices, tighter supplies on the ground should keep prices strong for farmers.
'The recent move by factories to cut prices is at odds with the market conditions. Throughput has continued to drop off with numbers well back from this time last year, and a further drop expected.'
Department of Agriculture figures show that factory slaughterings in the week running up to Easter Sunday (April 20) totalled 45,341 – this was up 10,811 on the same week last year but back 13,702 on Easter week for 2024.
The total kill for the year is back 18pc or 148,769 on the same period last year at 656,669.
Imports from the North for direct slaughter in the Republic fell by around to 10,000 during March to just over 30,000; the Livestock and Meat Commission put number of sheep exported for slaughter to the Republic for the year to mid-April at 86,618.
Meanwhile trade in the UK continues to fall further behind the market here, with deadweight lamb prices averaging €8.25/kg there for the week ending April 19.
As to what is being paid on ground here, ICSA sheep chair Willie Shaw said spring lambs in general are still being bought at €9.20/kg, while bigger operators and groups were struggling into a top of €9.40/kg.
He said hoggets are mostly making around €8.65/kg, with the very top at €8.90/kg, again for those with bigger numbers, while culls continue to range from €5.50-5.65/kg.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
Marts reported smaller numbers last week, with prices softening on the back of reduced factory prices and a wet and cold week: returns in some areas were back €30-40/hd across all sections when compared to pre-Easter.
However, Ennis mart manager Martin McNamara was upbeat about yesterday's sale, describing it as 'better than expected', with spring lambs averaging €4.35/kg.
George Candler, though, described the trade in Kilkenny yesterday as 'very disappointing, especially for spring lambs, with a difference of €10-20/hd on last year's returns.
'Current prices would not offer a lot of encouragement for those who would be interested in expanding their numbers.'
What many in the business cannot get their head around is that while beef is making up to €8.20/kg, sheep are struggling in a market where numbers have all but collapsed.
In Kilkenny, butcher's hoggets peaked at €210/hd for 68kgs, although better types at 58-59kg made €2.06-207/hd, with eleven at 52kg selling for €196/hd or €3.77/kg.
On the spring lamb side, the top call was the €218/hd or €3.96/kg paid for ten 55kgs. 44-45kgs sold for €187-188/hd or €4.07-4.18/kg, while 43-44kgs made €186-87/hd or €4.25-4.33/kg.
The top call among the factory hoggets was the €180/hd for 47kgs, with 45-46kgs making €170-178/hd and 42-43kgs at €170-173/hd.
Cast ewes sold for €110-320/hd.
Around the marts
Ennis mart
Trade was 'better than expected' at yesterday's sale of 510 sheep, according to Martin McNamara
Spring lambs averaged €4.35/kg, with a batch of 52.5kgs making €237/kg and 43.5kgs reaching €212/hd.
Hoggets averaged €3.45/kg to a top of €3.95/kg. Ten 46kgs sold for €182/hd.
Cull ewes averaged €2.59/kg, with heavy ewes selling to €3/kg.
Ewes with singles at foot sold to €370/hd, while those with doubles made up to €415/family.
Enniscorthy mart
Kevin Murphy attributed last week's smaller numbers to falling factory quotes, and spring lambs prices were down here: 40-44kgs generally made €186-198/hd.
Seven 101kg cull ewes made €275/hd and 90kgs sell to €272/hd, but even these prices were back €30-40/hd on three weeks ago. 70-72kgs sold from €168-172/hd with 77kgs making €202/hd.
'Poor factory pricing is encouraging farmers to keep sheep on hand' Kevin said.
Ballinrobe mart
Numbers were reduced on Thursday, with prices also softening.
Hoggets ranged from €162-202/hd or €3.36-4.25/kg, averaging €3.57/kg.
Cull ewes made up the bulk of the sheep on offer, making €90-296/hd (€1.91-3.30/kg) and averaging €191/hd or €2.75/kg.
Ewes with lambs at foot sold from €200/unit to €340/unit for one with twins at foot.
Fermoy mart
Numbers here were down to 260 last Monday. Spring lambs sold for €190-210/hd.
Sean Leahy reported trade for hogget as being 'sticky enough', with 52-53kgs making around €200/hd and better quality at around €220/hd.
Numbers of cull ewes were strong with their trade no less so: 100kg types generally made €300/hd, with the top at €306/hd.
Lighter culls from 70-80kg made €255-260/hd, but 85kg Texels sold for €280-285/hd.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Amazon's under-the-seat cabin bag is cheaper than Primark & approved for Ryanair flights
AMAZON is selling the perfect-sized cabin bag for Ryanair flights - and its cheaper than Primark. Now that summer is finally upon us, and with again next week, many of us are likely making plans for trips abroad. Advertisement 2 Amazon has the perfect cabin bag to take on Ryanair flights Credit: Reuters 2 The cabin bag extends to meet easyJet's requirements Credit: Amazon Finding a bag that meets the strict size guidelines of airlines can be tricky, but thankfully, Amazon has the perfect product to keep travellers at ease. Whether it's a romantic getaway, or a work trip, the The under-seat bag is 40 X 20 X 25, meaning that it's the exact maximum size Ryanair allows for cabin bags. Plus, the nifty bag can also be extended to 46 X 36 X 20cm, meaning its the perfect size for easyJet flights. Advertisement Read more Primark stories The small bag is made from waterproof material, and can carry a heavy load, so you can be guaranteed that it will get you through your holiday without any drama. Plus, it can be worn as a cross body bag, or a handbag, depending on your style. The bag is perfect for holding, clothes, makeups, books and anything else you might need for a short trip away. It comes in two colours, black and silver, and is priced at just £9.99, making it perfect for penny pinchers. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Plus, it's cheaper than Primark's The Primark bag is also the perfect size for Ryanair flights, but does not extend to the size of easyJet's restrictions. 'It's very important' - Ryanair's 'baggage sizers' warning to Irish passengers ahead of busy Easter break amid €75 fine Shoppers have flooded the Amazon website with praise for the purse friendly bag. One shopper said: "What a great little bag this was. Advertisement "Really good value for money and has been a really good buy." A second person said: "Great item, well made and fit for purpose! Advice for flying with Ryanair All Ryanair passengers can bring a small personal bag on board but this must fit under the seat in front of you, but it must be no bigger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm Any over-sized cabin bags will be refused at the boarding gate and put in the hold for a fee Ryanair also charges passengers up to £55 check-in at the airport Anyone who Book to sit in the front five rows if you want to head off the plane first The "The expansion facility with the base zip is particularly clever." A third person said: "Very good quality for the price and would 100% recommend as hand luggage. Advertisement "I expected it to be smaller, bearing in mind the price, but it was actually a great size!" Airlines have strict restrictions on what you can take on board flights, with customers only able to take a small bag on for free. Passengers have to pay for any larger bags they wish to take on board.


The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. 2 High street retailer Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter holiday Credit: Alamy 2 M&S boss Stuart Machin, pictured, along with seven other company executives were emailed by the hackers, believed to be DragonForce Credit: PA The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. Read More on UK News The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. Most read in The Sun A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'


The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Major blow as ANOTHER popular Ryanair flight to top destination scrapped as busy season kicks off
RYANAIR has scrapped flights to another popular European destination over "sky-high" charges. The 1 Ryanair has stopped flying to a popular Dutch airport Credit: Getty Starting October 26, Ryanair will cancel every route it operates from They have said Maastricht is one of the most pricey airports in Europe, and the charges could harm air travel connections in the Netherlands. Back in 2021, Maastricht introduced an environmental tax that charges Ryanair with nearly €30 for each passenger flying out. And this tax has been in place in other major READ MORE IN TRAVEL This has led Ryanair to also cut the number of flights - including those to Alicante, Bari, Girona, Porto, and Zadar which wipes out around 150,000 seats each year. Jason McGuinness, Ryanair's Chief Commercial Officer said the taxes at Maastricht have skyrocketed by 275 percent in just four years. He said: 'Ryanair continues to grow traffic - this year from 200m to 206m - by offering unbeatable low fares to customers across Europe at airports that have low access costs. "Maastricht's sky-high costs are damaging its connectivity. Most read in News Travel 'It is evidenced by the Airport's failure to recover its traffic post-Covid, lagging far behind the rest of Europe at just 50 per cent of pre-Covid traffic in 2024." Earlier this year, the budget airline trimmed summer flights in 'It's very important' - Ryanair's 'baggage sizers' warning to Irish passengers ahead of busy Easter break amid €75 fine Similarly, the airline pulled all flights to and from Aalborg after Denmark introduced a €6.70 passenger fee, which airlines are required to cover. Ryanair called the tax 'harmful' and said it forced them to scrap flights to major This move means Ryanair is losing around 1.7 million seats and closing several routes in Denmark. And back in September 2023, they pulled 17 routes for the winter season, blaming a 45 per cent hike in passenger charges at Dublin Airport. They also moved their special eco-friendly 'Gamechanger' planes to other airports that offer better deals. Then in September 2024, Ryanair said it would cut another 14 routes due to a passenger cap at Some of the routes cut included places like Asturias, Castellón, and Santiago in Spain, plus airports in Denmark, the UK, France, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland. ROUTES CUT And just this week, Ryanair decided to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv due to ongoing security concerns and instability in the region. The airline had briefly resumed operations in the past month, but recent security issues due to the war in CEO Michael O'Leary stated that safety remains the top priority and that conditions in the area no longer support regular flight operations. He said: "I think we're running out of patience too with Israel… flights to and from Tel Aviv. "If they're going to keep being disrupted by these security disruptions, frankly, we'd be better off sending those aircraft somewhere else in Europe."