ICSA Sheep chairman Sean McNamara has said lamb price in Ireland is now well out of sync with the UK and EU countries. “Current Irish lamb price, including QA bonus, excluding VAT, is at €6.23 paid compared to €6.62/kg in Great Britain, €8/kg in France and €6.97/kg in Spain. The Irish price is now about 10c/kg higher than 2021 which in no way compensates for a massive increase in all costs in that period,” he said.

“For context, the British price today is 43c/kg higher than this time two years ago, Spanish price Is almost 50c/kg higher and French price is up 80c/kg since 2021. Factories here are clearly making excess profit on lamb at present.

Meanwhile the cost of production for the sheep farmers has gone through roof since 2021 and there has been virtually no let-up since. From meal to transport costs, electricity, dosing costs and veterinary bills, once our costs went up, they stayed up, but those increased costs are not being acknowledged by the factories. Where is the sustainability when farmers’ costs are simply being ignored?”

Mr McNamara also called into question the high levels of imported live lambs. “What is the logic of importing so much live lamb from Northern Ireland when it would be far more profitable to send Northern lamb to Great Britain as slaughtered lamb? Again, the suspicion is that it is being done to suppress the trade here.”

ENDS