SHEEPMEAT PRODUCTION here is expected to drop by 4 per cent this year, twice the European average, according to the EU Forecast Working Group for Sheepmeat.
Already, according to a report in Bord Bia's Market Monitor, in the past two weeks there has been a fall of 20,000 head in meat plant supplies.
The forecast said the 4 per cent drop in output was as a result of a slightly smaller carry-over of lambs from last year and noted a further fall in the lamb crop will affect availability.
Increased disposals during the autumn of 2007, in response to higher prices reflecting the export restrictions on UK lamb, are expected to result in reduced lamb disposals in the January to April period.
"New season lamb supplies are expected to be lower than last year as the breeding flock appears to have declined further during 2007," the report said.
"This will impact on export volumes, which are projected to fall by around 5 per cent to 46,000 tonnes.
"France will remain the key destination, accounting for almost 60 per cent of the total. However, the diversification in exports evident over recent years to the UK and, to a lesser extent, northern Europe seems set to continue," it added.
Over the EU-27, the forecasters predicted a drop in production to just over 1.01 million tonnes as breed flock numbers decline.
It said that although a modest rise was anticipated in import volumes, it would not be sufficient to maintaining consumption levels, which it forecast would decline by over 1 per cent to 1.3 million tonnes.
The national sheep flock here has fallen from 4.7 million in 1993 to almost 2.5 million now.