Spring lamb prices

Willfarman

I don't understand the need for individual tag numbers in sheep. A single Fock number should suffice. Even let it be e.i.d.

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

I don't understand the need for individual tag numbers in sheep. A single Fock number should suffice. Even let it be e.i.d.

Apparently the English lambs having it is putting pressure on the Irish to provide it.....same as selling cars, once one had powersteering/airconditioning etc, every car had to provide it

Farrell

rangler1 wrote: »

At least you'll be able to read them with a reader.
There's something going on now, we had two govt departments yesterday phoned us to ask us how they would sell it to the farmers........both of them aware that we tag at birth and use the records extensively in our management.
If you could get the reader with a 40% grant through TAMS it wouldn't be that dear....don't know why farmers don't put EID in cattle....scraping tags in housed cattle to read them used to drive me mad

Actually using the electronic tags here, bit or a pain when tagging as have to remove insert from applicator. Long story short, vet tried to scan with hand held & it wouldn't work.

Cran

rangler1 wrote: »

Apparently the English lambs having it is putting pressure on the Irish to provide it.....same as selling cars, once one had powersteering/airconditioning etc, every car had to provide it

I would think the factories would be putting them under pressure as well, they have eid readers but 90% of lambs cant use them takes more man power to read manually.

Personally if they go down that route they should agree something like email can be used. Scan numbers onto phone then email each party a copy of movement document auto populated from scan, actually make the EID useful to the farmer.....

rangler1

Farrell wrote: »

Actually using the electronic tags here, bit or a pain when tagging as have to remove insert from applicator. Long story short, vet tried to scan with hand held & it wouldn't work.

reader works very well with the sheep, would love to have the lambs EID, but not at nearly a euro extra...hopefully like all technology it'll be getting cheaper

ganmo

rangler1 wrote: »

reader works very well with the sheep, would love to have the lambs EID, but not at nearly a euro extra...hopefully like all technology it'll be getting cheaper

If the factory returned the tags to be used the next year the cost of eid tags for lambs would plummet

AntrimGlens

I've been using eid in the lambs now for 3 years and last year was really only when I fully utilised it. It's useful info but only if you use it properly and fully. Helpful for fat/prime lamb factory sellers but limited benefit to store and mart sellers. Does help on ewe selection and ram breeding seeing what ewes are putting into lambs and also lamb dlwg if you weigh regularly. Two tags, only 1 is eid and cost £1 per set of tags. Have a psion reader which I got 40% grant on.

Willfarman

I see a big lamb finisher here localy that finishes 5000 lambs every fall having to read 5000 lambs for factory and then the traceability stops dead at the factory gates. The kill sheets only record the individual tag number and not the flock number, the numbered even then are not recorded accurately, Northern Irish and uk lambs are killed same day and are being marketed as irish traceable meat off the back of my compliance with a nonsensical beuracratic system.

Green farmer

orm0nd wrote: »

my agent reckons this glut might be over in a week or 2 ,

If you don't mind me asking ,do you fair out with using an agent ? I usually just sell through the marts, as I'm a long way from factory and just haven't built up a relationship with any agent yet.

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking ,do you fair out with using an agent ? I usually just sell through the marts, as I'm a long way from factory and just haven't built up a relationship with any agent yet.

I'll answer you this way, I haven't sold in a mart for years and don't intend to.
..the exception would be maybe some heavy cull ewes

Think you mentioned roscrea , in 1 of your posts, the chap with the beard that buys there, might be worth chatting to

also there's an ex customer of roscrea that now buys in portumna & possibly athenry , tall bald chap that wears a peak cap

Green farmer

Normally would an agent call for the sheep or would the farmer drop sheep to dealers yard, and does the factory or agent pay you ? Apologies about the questions but just wondering about the logistics and would payment be as guaranteed as the mart.

sako 85

Quotes for Camolin on Monday;

Spring Lambs €6.00 +€0.10 QA
Fat Ewes €3.00

Is anyone getting better?

sako 85

Quotes for Camolin on Monday;

Spring Lambs €6.00 +€0.10 QA
Fat Ewes €3.00

Is anyone getting better?

arctictree

Green farmer wrote: »

Normally would an agent call for the sheep or would the farmer drop sheep to dealers yard, and does the factory or agent pay you ? Apologies about the questions but just wondering about the logistics and would payment be as guaranteed as the mart.

Would be interested in this myself! Also, what minimum numbers do agents normally take? Might be selling in batches of 12 this year. Would that be too small?

orm0nd

Green farmer wrote: »

Normally would an agent call for the sheep or would the farmer drop sheep to dealers yard, and does the factory or agent pay you ? Apologies about the questions but just wondering about the logistics and would payment be as guaranteed as the mart.

arctictree wrote: »

Would be interested in this myself! Also, what minimum numbers do agents normally take? Might be selling in batches of 12 this year. Would that be too small?

'

depends on location

some guys drop the lambs off to the haulier late the night before or early morning , more arrange a couple meeting up at one farm or even at a point on route ,

myself & 2 other neighbours move on the same day one guy has small numbers and a tight yard so he drops them here ,

the factory pays us , in about 3 days, they deduct the haulage fee and pay the agent

I got caught for payment for 30 heavy lambs about 20 years ago , the banks pulled the plug on a private abattoir, wouldn't mind but I had the cheque over a week & if I had lodged when I got it, it was good

finished up getting about 30% of the value about 12 months later , only time I ever had problems

Green farmer

I usually have batches of 10 -15 lambs at a time, so not huge amounts. I'll enquire around and see which agents are ok to deal with in the area. Thanks ormond .

orm0nd

supplies are thinning out a bit, anyone with lambs not up to max weight, hold out

Willfarman

Supplies haven't been strong at all during the last 2 weeks. The processers pulled a master coup. Cutting quotes brought them more stock than any rise ever would.

sako 85

Willfarman wrote: »

Supplies haven't been strong at all during the last 2 weeks. The processers pulled a master coup. Cutting quotes brought them more stock than any rise ever would.

Was thinking the same

Green farmer

I know demand has been weak, but supplies have been equally as weak, coupled with this there has been a 50 % reduction of lambs from the north due to new labelling regulations. I haven't been to the mart in about 2 weeks due to the cuts, but when I was there, both lambs and hoggets were not abundant on the ground.

orm0nd

demand seems to be very weak at the moment,

I'd shuddering to think waht we would be getting if the € was strong

AntrimGlens

Six jan born lambs away to mart yesterday, 21kgs @ £3.70kg = £77.70. Top lambs were making £3.80kg and hard pushed to get it. This is shocking trade and i don't hold out much hope for quick action on the voluntary labelling scheme which is being proposed by the two ministers, we could be into store lamb sales before it's sorted.
Was talking to a few men who are mainly early lambers and they've had enough of price drops this past few years and pulling the plug on early lambing. Spoke to a fella last night and he said there was a lorry of fat ewes texels and suffolks left here for killing in England at the weekend and the top ewe made £170, the rest averaged about £130 - £140. How can that be right?

Green farmer

Any factory quotes for next week for hoggets ?

Green farmer

Spoke to a agent about transporting hoggets to factory next week and waiting on a price per kg. Would guys get a price from factory direct or let agent do dealing for them ?

Willfarman

Green farmer wrote: »

Spoke to a agent about transporting hoggets to factory next week and waiting on a price per kg. Would guys get a price from factory direct or let agent do dealing for them ?

Let the agent at it no doubt.

Cran

Green farmer wrote: »

Any factory quotes for next week for hoggets ?

540 best I could get

Green farmer

Cran wrote: »

540 best I could get

Thanks Cran

Best I could get as well, some are paying to 23.5 kg while others are 23kg.

ganmo

Green farmer wrote: »

Thanks Cran

Best I could get as well, some are paying to 23.5 kg while others are 23kg.

Its very early for them to be upping the weight

sea12

ganmo wrote: »

Its very early for them to be upping the weight

That's for hoggets not lambs. Lambs are only upto 21.5

ganmo

sea12 wrote: »

That's for hoggets not lambs. Lambs are only upto 21.5

ahh that makes more sence