Spring lamb prices

JJayoo · 17-09-2019 1:03pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

JJayoo wrote: »

We are doing a big cull this year, clean up the flock.

Spoke to a guy a while back who used to carry 200 ewes. He decided to cut back a bit and culled an extra 20 ewes in 2018, saying "F*ck it, I'll take the hit on having less lambs to sell".

When it was all added up at the end of the year, he reckoned he was down no more than the price of 8 lambs.

Well we had kept a lot of sheep that really should have been culled in previous years. Originally our flock would be allmayo mountain sheep and over the last 5/6 years we have started mixing in some other sheep, so we now have a good bit of dalesbred and swaledale mixed in. A sheep which might have been moved on last year was kept because she was a dalesbred/swale.

Our numbers will stay approx the same with replacements, but I 100% agree with the benefits of cutting numbers. I have one neighbor who booked in 140 sheep to get sheared, ended up with 202 lol, had no idea he had so many.

JJayoo · 18-09-2019 10:10am

Lambs are down 5cent/kg this week, and culls are down 20cent/kg.

Big drop on culls especially as I have 19 going on Thursday/Friday

Box09 · 18-09-2019 10:40am

470 icm today

wrangler · 18-09-2019 10:45am

Box09 wrote: »

470 icm today

That's the same as last week is it,
I'd say they're afraid of their lives to drop the price in case they have the barrels at the gates

Ard_MC · 18-09-2019 10:48am

JJayoo wrote: »

Lambs are down 5cent/kg this week, and culls are down 20cent/kg.

Big drop on culls especially as I have 19 going on Thursday/Friday

The factories in the west being closed, can not be helping.

JJayoo · 18-09-2019 1:29pm

Had it wrong Kildare chilling base quotes this week
Lamb 4.55/kg, down 15 cent this week
Sheep 2.50/kg down 20 cent this week.

Any reason for the big drop?

wrangler · 18-09-2019 1:40pm

JJayoo wrote: »

Had it wrong Kildare chilling base quotes this week
Lamb 4.55/kg, down 15 cent this week
Sheep 2.50/kg down 20 cent this week.

Any reason for the big drop?

Are you talking quotes on the paper or over the phone.
They quoted 460 plus 10 on the paper last week and 455 +10 yesterday so a drop of 5c
ICM have been 250 for ewes for a while I think

JJayoo · 18-09-2019 4:26pm

I am just going of the AgriLand website

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/sheep-trade-number-of-sheep-killed-falls-dramatically-due-to-beef-protests/

Article dated today

wrangler · 18-09-2019 4:33pm

JJayoo wrote: »

I am just going of the AgriLand website

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/sheep-trade-number-of-sheep-killed-falls-dramatically-due-to-beef-protests/

Article dated today

some of the time Kildare were quoting anything atalll, they were blocked so it didn't make any difference what they quoted

Green farmer · 18-09-2019 4:35pm

wrangler wrote: »

some of the time Kildare were quoting anything atalll, they were blocked so it didn't make any difference what they quoted

Just read there, the protests have been withdrawn in dawn meats, so we might be able to return to Kildare soon enough.

wrangler · 18-09-2019 4:38pm

Green farmer wrote: »

Just read there, the protests have been withdrawn in dawn meats, so we might be able to return to Kildare soon enough.

Whether they had it or not the factories wouldn't give in, arrogant to the bone they are.
Not over yet though

Green farmer · 18-09-2019 4:48pm

wrangler wrote: »

Whether they had it or not the factories wouldn't give in, arrogant to the bone they are.
Not over yet though

I’m only an outside observer, but I’m just as disappointed with the carry on of creed, bird bia and the competition authority, in their handling of the whole event and the side they came down on.

wrangler · 18-09-2019 4:56pm

Green farmer wrote: »

I’m only an outside observer, but I’m just as disappointed with the carry on of creed, bird bia and the competition authority, in their handling of the whole event and the side they came down on.

I suppose I've been through it all before and wasn't expecting anything different.
I don't know if it was ever paid but we were fined over €500000 and, like beef plan, IFA stepped down and left farmers vulnerable......we negotiated then and it wasn't pushed further.
Anyway it's not over yet

JJayoo · 18-09-2019 5:35pm

How are prices decided on? For example we sent down lambs two weeks ago from Sligo to Kildare, a truck with about 400 lambs collected them. We had to book these lambs in approx a week before and then when the haulage guy had a full load he called us to say he would be collecting.

So the factories know that these lads are coming with their 400+ lambs, and they also know that these lambs have to be booked in by the farmer to secure a place on the truck, so there are thousands of lambs sent to factories without the farmers actually knowing what the price for them will be.

If the factory know they have a big amount of lambs booked in do they lower the price to maximize profits for that week. Or is the price dictated by the amount of lambs available the previous week?

You would think that the factory would raise prices to attract more farmers to send in their lambs, but since you have to have them booked in before you actually see any price increase this doesn't make
much sense. Unless the haulage guys only make up a small % of total lamb numbers.

I think the sun is making me ramble lol

ganmo · 18-09-2019 5:50pm

wrangler wrote: »

I suppose I've been through it all before and wasn't expecting anything different.
I don't know if it was ever paid but we were fined over €500000 and, like beef plan, IFA stepped down and left farmers vulnerable......we negotiated then and it wasn't pushed further.
Anyway it's not over yet

I was talking to someone recently and he was saying how its impossible to negotiate with splinter groups(workers unions). I had to remind him that the farmers were pushed to splinter by the legal action taken by the factories.

wrangler · 18-09-2019 5:57pm

JJayoo wrote: »

How are prices decided on? For example we sent down lambs two weeks ago from Sligo to Kildare, a truck with about 400 lambs collected them. We had to book these lambs in approx a week before and then when the haulage guy had a full load he called us to say he would be collecting.

So the factories know that these lads are coming with their 400+ lambs, and they also know that these lambs have to be booked in by the farmer to secure a place on the truck, so there are thousands of lambs sent to factories without the farmers actually knowing what the price for them will be.

If the factory know they have a big amount of lambs booked in do they lower the price to maximize profits for that week. Or is the price dictated by the amount of lambs available the previous week?

You would think that the factory would raise prices to attract more farmers to send in their lambs, but since you have to have them booked in before you actually see any price increase this doesn't make
much sense. Unless the haulage guys only make up a small % of total lamb numbers.

I think the sun is making me ramble lol

You should know the price before they get on the lorry.

JJayoo · 18-09-2019 6:19pm

But you have to book them on the lorry a week in advance.

Dinzee Conlee · 18-09-2019 7:38pm

JJayoo wrote: »

But you have to book them on the lorry a week in advance.

Can you not book them, and then check the price either the day or the day before they go on the lorry?
At least you’ll know what you’re getting?

ganmo · 19-09-2019 12:15pm

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Can you not book them, and then check the price either the day or the day before they go on the lorry?
At least you’ll know what you’re getting?

that would be worth inquiring about.
It might be that the truck driver only tells the factory he's coming when he has a full load.

That situation also sounds like it'll lead to lots of overweight lambs too

Green farmer · 21-09-2019 5:33pm

Have all the pickets finished in the sheep factories ?

White Clover · 21-09-2019 5:56pm

Any increase on 21kg?

razor8 · 21-09-2019 6:43pm

Paying 21.5 since 1st September

kk.man · 21-09-2019 7:56pm

Was at the mart today and it took an exceptional lamb to make 100e and those were bought by butchers.

White Clover · 21-09-2019 8:00pm

kk.man wrote: »

Was at the mart today and it took an exceptional lamb to make 100e and those were bought by butchers.

What weights kk man? Fermoy on Monday was €2/kg for butcher's and factory lambs.

kk.man · 22-09-2019 11:11am

White Clover wrote: »

kk.man wrote: »

Was at the mart today and it took an exceptional lamb to make 100e and those were bought by butchers.

What weights kk man? Fermoy on Monday was €2/kg for butcher's and factory lambs.

50kgs lambs struggled to make 100e. Those that did were bought by butchers and those sub 100e were bought by factory agents.

foxirl · 23-09-2019 6:59am

Does ICM kill on Saturdays or is it just weekdays? Thanks

Update: Just got though to them and they don't.

JJayoo · 25-09-2019 2:45am

5 euro in fees for every animal we sent to factory. 2 euro haulage and 3euro in factory fees.

The 2euro haulage is sound but when you see a breakdown of all the factory fees it's a joke, where does this money actually go?
SRM charge of 1.27 euro on all animals
Scrapie charge of .71 cent on all animals.

kk.man · 25-09-2019 1:14pm

JJayoo wrote: »

5 euro in fees for every animal we sent to factory. 2 euro haulage and 3euro in factory fees.

The 2euro haulage is sound but when you see a breakdown of all the factory fees it's a joke, where does this money actually go?
SRM charge of 1.27 euro on all animals
Scrapie charge of .71 cent on all animals.

Scrapie only applicable on ewes

Green farmer · 25-09-2019 2:21pm

What are lads paying in haulage ? Last time I sent around 15 sheep, I was charged €3.50 a head to factory. I’m 100 mile from factory. How does this compare ?

Sami23 · 25-09-2019 2:46pm

Green farmer wrote: »

What are lads paying in haulage ? Last time I sent around 15 sheep, I was charged €3.50 a head to factory. I’m 100 mile from factory. How does this compare ?

2 euro here

Spring lamb prices

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