The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has accused factories of ignoring sheep farmers’ cost increases in paying only 10c/kg more for lamb than they did in 2021.

ICSA sheep chair Sean McNamara said that even with quality assurance bonuses, Irish lamb is behind French and Spanish prices.

“Current Irish lamb price, including QA bonus and excluding VAT, is at €6.23/kg paid compared [with] €6.62/kg in Great Britain, €8/kg in France and €6.97/kg in Spain,” he stated.

“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.”

Higher prices

Sheep farmers overseas are seeing higher prices paid on those from 2021, as input costs have risen, McNamara continued.

“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 sheep farmers has gone through the roof since 2021 and there has been virtually no let-up since.

“Where is the sustainability when farmers’ costs are simply being ignored?”

McNamara also questioned what the ICSA maintains are high levels of live lamb imports.

“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 Britain as slaughtered lamb?

“Again, the suspicion is that it is being done to suppress the trade here.”