The IFA sheep committee brought a campaign for stronger supports for the sheep sector to the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday afternoon 21 February.

The deepening income crisis on sheep farms and the urgent need for immediate direct supports were highlighted in a letter, which was given to the minister.

A number of sheep farmers who attended the protest spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal expressing their concerns.

Peter Luttrell, Co Laois

"I finish store lambs and we're simply losing too much money. I bought store lambs in good faith last autumn; with the price of feed and fertiliser and the way the market has gone we're not making any money.

"The farmer breeding the store lamb is very concerned that we won't be able to afford to buy off them next year. And rightly so because of the factory prices we're getting. If there's no money there, we need Government support. The Government exported 75,000t of sheep meat (85% of total produced) and this is worth €476m to the economy. That’s a significant benefit to the economy.

"If they want to keep us in business and keep the export trade going they need to support us," he said.

JP Ryan Jerry, Borrisoleigh, Co Tipperary

“I lamb 300 ewes and finish all my lambs and this year, our margins are on the floor.

Prices have come back almost €20/head, we just can’t take it.

“We need more government support and we’re a worthwhile sector to give government support to. Traditionally we’re a sector that doesn’t draw down huge payments but we need support now.

“The €30/ewe would keep us going in the short term until the market picks up but the marketing of lamb also needs to be dealt with straight away. Bord Bia needs to do an awful lot more to market lamb. It's an excellent source of protein and highly nutritional."

Dermot Ward, Meath IFA chair

"We need to get a floor price under sheep meat. Store lambs are fat the moment and are being prepared for market. In the northeast of the country there is a significant amount of store lambs on cover crops. These lambs originated from the likes of Kerry and other counties in the west of Ireland.

"With the onset of new eco schemes, a lot more cover crops are being grown in the east of the country and they need to be utilised. They're an area where there is no worm burden, lambs fatten very easy and there's very little cost to the environment also."

Pat Murray, Co Wexford

“We’re looking for more support. We have an income crisis in the sheep sector at the moment and sheep farmers are under serious pressure.

“If you look at hogget finishers in particular, they’re really badly affected. Prices are 80c/kg behind last year’s prices and input costs have increased by 40%. Nobody can sustain those losses being experienced at the moment; €6.20/kg would have been a good price two years ago but where input costs are now, it’s not sustainable.”