The Teagasc sheep sector roadmap is targeting a 45% increase in gross margins attained from a mid-season lowland lambing system. Based on a matched sample of farmers from 2022 to 2024 the current performance is an average gross margin of €834/ha, with the target being to increase this to €1,200/ha by 2030.
With costs of production not expected to change drastically, this will generate an increase in the average net margin to €500/ha.
The increase in financial performance is based on an improvement in physical performance. Stocking rate targets in such a scenario will increase from seven ewes/ha to eight ewes/ha, while the average litter size is targeted to lift from 1.45 lambs per ewe joined to 1.6 lambs per ewe joined. This in turn will leave producers with 0.11 more lambs to sell per ewe joined.
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There is scope to exceed this performance based off physical and financial performance achieved in research flocks.
Such flocks are currently achieving a gross margin of €1,650/ha and a net margin of €700/ha. The stocking rate in such a system is 11 ewes/ha, with the litter size at 1.95 lambs per ewe joined and 1.68 lambs sold per ewe joined. The level of concentrates fed is just 35kg per ewe, based on the current average figure of 97kg per ewe.
The roadmap also includes environmental targets, including increased protected urea usage from 7% to 30% and slurry applied by low emission slurry spreading technologies from 39% to 80%.
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The Teagasc sheep sector roadmap is targeting a 45% increase in gross margins attained from a mid-season lowland lambing system. Based on a matched sample of farmers from 2022 to 2024 the current performance is an average gross margin of €834/ha, with the target being to increase this to €1,200/ha by 2030.
With costs of production not expected to change drastically, this will generate an increase in the average net margin to €500/ha.
The increase in financial performance is based on an improvement in physical performance. Stocking rate targets in such a scenario will increase from seven ewes/ha to eight ewes/ha, while the average litter size is targeted to lift from 1.45 lambs per ewe joined to 1.6 lambs per ewe joined. This in turn will leave producers with 0.11 more lambs to sell per ewe joined.
There is scope to exceed this performance based off physical and financial performance achieved in research flocks.
Such flocks are currently achieving a gross margin of €1,650/ha and a net margin of €700/ha. The stocking rate in such a system is 11 ewes/ha, with the litter size at 1.95 lambs per ewe joined and 1.68 lambs sold per ewe joined. The level of concentrates fed is just 35kg per ewe, based on the current average figure of 97kg per ewe.
The roadmap also includes environmental targets, including increased protected urea usage from 7% to 30% and slurry applied by low emission slurry spreading technologies from 39% to 80%.
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