How Easter and Ramadan are benefiting Irish farmers

Why the world's largest religious events are resulting in a surge in lamb prices

Picture: iStock

Don’t blame lamb producers for pinching themselves to prove that they are not dreaming up the spring 2021 prices they are paid.

Anyone who thought prices had peaked in recent weeks will be adjusting their view, after a further surge of 20-30 cents/kg for supplies this week.

A number of factors have come together to deliver for sheep farmers.

Easter is fast approaching, the traditional season for eating lamb, and home cooking will increase the demand.

A couple of weeks later, processors will be looking for extra supply to satisfy the demands of the usual export market boost around the Ramadam Muslim period.

Export plants are building stocks for Easter and Ramadan.

Add in the very tight supply level (7% behind 2020) which is mainly due to thousands of sheep farmers cutting back of ending production in recent years.

And with live imports of lambs from the North for direct slaughter in the South 27% lower compared to 12 months ago, it is the perfect scenario to deliver the higher prices which have become the order of the day.

There are a few early lambs coming to the market this week, but the throughput at the factories remains largely dependent on hoggets for volume.

Spring lambs are generally quoted for at 740 cents/kg, with one processor offering 770 cents/kg.

Processors are quoting 680-720 cents/kg this week in the trade for hoggets.

The mart sales on Monday continued very strong.

There were 420 head on offer at Corrin Mart, where prices for butchers’ lambs peaked at €176 for 56kgs for a pen of seven.

A pen of nine weighing 53 kgs sold for €174. and a pen of nine weighing 54 kg sold for €172.

Factory lots sold for up to €114 over.

There were 300 head on offer on Monday at Kilkenny, where the top price was €180 for a pen of eight weighing 57kgs.

A pen of eight weighing 60 kgs sold for €180, and a pen of 30 weighing 56 kgs made €171.

Demand for the factory lots was very strong, at up to €127 over.