Charles O’Shea, Cork and Kerry

“Scanning results this year are not bad, even with the bad weather. Crops are up a small bit on last year.” O’Shea highlighted that “there are a lot of fertility problems in rams, leading to a high percentage of empty ewes.”

The Cork and Kerry-based scanner said he is seeing “flock numbers well down, because of the costs and a good few are also joining organics, especially hill farmers.”

He added that “help is the biggest issue – most farmers are getting on in age however, there are some great young sheep farmers out there. I bring a helper with me because it gets the elderly farmer down if they aren’t able to work like they used to.”

Seán McHugh, Donegal and northern areas

Scanner Seán McHugh said “scanning rates are good but I would say it’s around the same as last year.”

He reports that “farmers are not keeping the same number of sheep, a lot are getting older and the work load involved with lambing seems to be a problem”.

“I’m also seeing farmers with around 100 ewes staying at that number but the ones with big flock numbers could be back a 100 ewes or more this year.”

McHugh stated that “sheep conditions are poor at the minute it is very wet up here, it’s time for farmers to be putting sheep in and getting condition on them before lambing time.”

Dominic Black, Roscommon

“There are lots of dry sheep where I am scanning this year, I’d say it’s due to all the wet weather we had. The dry numbers are dragging down the averages with some farmers having 10% dry which is very high.”

He explained that “there is a big shift backwards in sheep numbers in the west, small farmers are back 10 to 20 ewes. There is no one lambing in January and February this year as the price for the hogget last year was nearly as much as for spring lamb without all the expense.

“Farmer confidence in sheep farming is at an all time low, many are cutting back or getting out,” is what he is hearing on the ground.

Pat Oliver, northeast

“There’s always a variety in scanning rates, but the majority are recording high rates this year but last year was a bad year,” the northeast scanner said.

“I don’t think I have anyone with more sheep than last year, the average age profile of a sheep farmer is older so reducing the flock is a management decision, not just an economic decision, this year.

He concluded by saying that “any land that goes up for offer, the dairy farmer is able to make a high bid as they are in a better position than sheep farmers.”