Sheep price cuts make no sense with the supply collapsing, says ICSA
Last week, there was a drop of 1,588 head in sheep slaughter numbers.
Sheep price cuts defy logic as supply collapses, says the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).
“It is one thing getting a bad price when there is an oversupply - but getting a bad price when there’s an undersupply is something else entirely,” said ICSA Sheep Chair Willie Shaw.
Mr Shaw said: “We are in the middle of a supply collapse. New figures show that throughput is down 16% for the year, yet Irish processors are threatening more cuts. It defies logic, fairness, and any sense of a functioning market - and it’s driving the sector over the edge.”Â
According to Department of Agriculture figures, only 36,643 sheep were slaughtered in the last week, a drop of 1,588 on the week previous and almost 11,000 fewer animals slaughtered on the same week in 2024.
Comparing figures from this time last year, throughput is down 232,921 head, which is in addition to the drop of 370,000 experienced in 2024.
“In just 18 months, over 600,000 fewer sheep have been processed as farmers cut back or exit the sector entirely because the figures don’t stack up. Meanwhile, the processors just carry on regardless, conjuring up excuses to slash prices further.Â
"Farmers in France and Spain are getting up to €1.40/kg more at the moment. Here, we’re facing another cut. How can anyone justify that?”
Mr Shaw said that the situation has now reached a point where cattle prices are ahead of lamb.Â
“I honestly can’t remember a time when beef prices were higher than lamb. Lamb has always carried a premium due to its seasonality and lighter carcass.Â
Concluding, Mr Shaw said: “Things are reaching a tipping point for the sheep sector. Policy makers and processors alike need to wake up and start valuing the sector and the labour-intensive work sheep farmers do before it is too late.”
