Current price cuts are ‘not acceptable' to sheep farmers
According to Gallagher, the sector lost a 94,000 breeding ewes in the past year, and are now at numbers 'not seen' since 2014.
He claims that throughput in factories dropped by over 370,000 head in 2024 and is currently back over 160,000 on last year.
Gallagher believes this level of decline in sector output has 'serious consequences' for servicing high end customers for sheep meet.
'Factories can and must do more on lamb, hogget and ewe prices, the current cuts are not acceptable and could do serious damage to the long-term viability of the sector, these must be reversed,' Gallagher said.
The IFA sheep chair has said that trade in the UK for old season and new season lamb has improved over the past week (June 2025).
He outlined that prices have risen by almost 7c/Kg for hoggets, and up to 37c/Kg for lambs. The prices in France remain strong, and are 'well over' €10/Kg.
Gallagher said: 'Sheep factories here must start reflecting this reality in prices offered to sheep farmers and reverse the recent cuts they have implemented.
'The sector is a critical stage and its long-term viability and sustainability is very much dependent on the willingness and capacity of factories to maximise returns to farmers.
'Bord Bia also (has) a key role to play in ensuring our product based on the standards implemented on our farms differentiated for customers in the UK and EU markets to push back on the impact cheaper southern hemisphere imports is having in these markets,' Gallagher added.
Sheep prices
This week's (June 9) sheep trade has seen offers for spring lambs fall below €9.00/kg at all the key sheep factories.
Up to 20c/kg has been cut from spring lamb prices, and many of the processors are less interested in hoggets as markets have now moved on to this year's lambs.
Procurement staff have told Agriland that there are 'reasonably good numbers of spring lambs' coming available and these lambs are generally all arriving well finished with good carcasses.
This week, Kepak is quoting €8.65/kg plus a 15c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus for spring lambs, leaving €8.80/kg on offer here up to 21kg carcass weight. This offer is down 20c/kg since last week.
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