Moves by factories to reduce paid carcase weight limits for hoggets have been strongly criticised by farmers and farm organisations. The reduced limits have been introduced over the last week, with the pace of their introduction varying across plants. The two Irish Country Meats plants in Camolin and Navan reduced carcase weight limits from 24kg to 23kg last week. The other main processing groups, including Dawn Meats plants in Ballyhaunis and Kildare and the Kepak Group plant in Athleague, reduced carcase weight limits initially by 0.5kg, before inflicting a staggered further cut of 0.5kg.
Moves by factories to reduce paid carcase weight limits for hoggets have been strongly criticised by farmers and farm organisations. The reduced limits have been introduced over the last week, with the pace of their introduction varying across plants.
The two Irish Country Meats plants in Camolin and Navan reduced carcase weight limits from 24kg to 23kg last week. The other main processing groups, including Dawn Meats plants in Ballyhaunis and Kildare and the Kepak Group plant in Athleague, reduced carcase weight limits initially by 0.5kg, before inflicting a staggered further cut of 0.5kg.
This means that from the end of this week, the majority of plants will be operating to a limit of 23kg. The only plant remaining at 23.5kg carcase weight is Ballon Meats.
Farmers have said the introduction of weight limits without any warning is essentially a backdoor move to reduce the value of hoggets by €9/head. The impact of the move has been reflected in mart sales this week, with prices falling by €5 to upwards of €10/head – with heavier hoggets hit the worst.
IFA sheep committee chair Adrian Gallagher said “the attempts by factories to cut pay weights on hoggets is short-sighted and unacceptable. Factories are acutely aware of the dramatic decline in the national breeding flock and the subsequent drop in the numbers of lambs/hoggets available to them to service key markets and customers”.
Gallagher says factories should be doing all in their power to support farmers, and has called on them to reverse limits to 24kg.
Factories blame an oversupply of hoggets in the market, citing that throughput on any given day could include upwards of 50% of hoggets falling out-of-spec through excessive carcase weights or overfat hoggets.
They comment that it is limiting the potential of the carcase trade and inserting added marketing pressure.
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