Morale ‘never as low’ and prices ‘never as good’ in sheep farming

Sheep farming in the opening months of 2024 has been described as a period when “morale was never as low and the prices were never as good”.

This is according to Willie Shaw of Dromoyle, Co. Offaly, the new sheep chair of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).

However, in recent weeks factories have been reducing their prices for sheep, which Shaw described as there being “no justification for.

“Factory prices need to keep pace with the cost of production not only to keep the sheep farmers we have in business but to ensure we have sheep farmers into the future.

“In the last few weeks, processors have slashed the price for spring lamb by over €1/kg, which translates to a hit of more than €20 per finished lamb. Cuts of this magnitude are extremely difficult for sheep farmers to bear, particularly with the cost of producing those lambs remaining high,” Shaw said.

Shaw told Agriland that he found that from speaking to farmers this year, they found it tough to “get help” during what has been a difficult year with rising costs and wet weather conditions.

He determined that many sheep farmers are “either cutting back or getting out altogether.

“The amount of ewes that are going through the marts is astronomical.

“Any passenger that was there was looked at twice to get rid of them because of the lack of grass, and the exceptionally long winter,” Shaw added.

Sheep trade

Speaking on the recent cuts to prices for lambs, Shaw said it was like the “equivalent of €300 knocked off” the price of an average bullock.

“Factory agents were complaining that the lambs weren’t finished outright, but they weren’t willing to pay for it, so what are lads supposed to do?

“I’ve been asking factory buyers over the last month or so what they think they’ll be by September 1.

“They all throw their eyes to heaven and say it depends on the Suez Canal, it depends on weather, it depends on supply.”

Shaw said in the mart in Roscrea in Co. Tipperary last week, the “odd” farmer said there was “still a good price,” but he said that “nine times out of ten the lads saying that are hobby farmers that have 50 ewes running amongst their other enterprise”.

Shaw said full time sheep farmers “need every penny” and said that while prices are still ahead of this time last year, but he said that due to costs, there “was no money made from sheep” in 2023.

“You have to sell an awful lot of lambs to pay any decent bills.”

Reflecting on the peak prices seen earlier in the spring, Shaw said that the people that made money were the “specialised feeders.

“The actual sheep farmers that were up all night lambing ewes, very little of them made that money.”

Shaw said the costs for sheep farmers continue to rise, including the doubling of Clik prices in three years, Heptavac doubling in price in two years, and higher costs for shearing.

Shaw spoke to a farmer who paid €5/ewe for shearing this year, whose shearer told him that if shearing a sheep couldn’t buy them a pint of beer, they were “at nothing”.

The ICSA sheep chair exited dairy farming 20 years ago and said he “done the opposite to everyone else”.

He explained that his land is fragmented and that his family has farmed there for over 200 years were his 500 ewes can be found.

Shaw has been with the ICSA for over ten years and took over the role as sheep chair in February, before being officially elected in April.