Meat Industry Ireland sheep plan targets €150m and 500 jobs

Advances in breeding could see Ireland produce an extra million lambs annually, according to a five-year sheepmeat development which Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has presented to Agriculture Minister Michael Creed.

Drawn from growth projections set out in Food Wise 2025, MII’s projections are built upon a programme aimed at rebuilding the national flock to three million ewes and increasing the national lambing average with advances in breeding and management practices.

This would result in increased exports of some 20,000 tonnes, generating increased export earnings of €150m annually and 500 extra jobs in the sector.