{"id":1334742,"date":"2024-06-25T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/?p=1334742"},"modified":"2024-06-25T14:53:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T13:53:04","slug":"morale-never-as-low-and-prices-never-as-good-in-sheep-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightsail.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/morale-never-as-low-and-prices-never-as-good-in-sheep-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Morale ‘never as low’ and prices ‘never as good’ in sheep farming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is according to Willie Shaw of Dromoyle, Co. Offaly, the new sheep chair of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, in recent weeks factories have been reducing their prices for sheep, which Shaw described as there being “no justification for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cFactory 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the last few weeks, processors have slashed the price for spring lamb by over \u20ac1\/kg, which translates to a hit of more than \u20ac20 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,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaw told Agriland <\/em>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He determined that many sheep farmers are “either cutting back or getting out altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“The amount of ewes that are going through the marts is astronomical.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
“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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheep trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n