The first of these lambs were prepared for slaughter at the Camolin, Co., site. Irish Country Meats’ (ICMs) Wexford on 30 January (2026), and the overall average formulation date was 20 March.
Each year, the ABP pilot farm runs a lamb stocking system alongside the main process of converting lamb from calf to beef.
Sean Cassidy, farm liaison for ABP’s Advantage Beef programme, said the lamb stocking system was “proving to be an invaluable asset to the farm’s grassland management while providing an additional enterprise and income stream”.
Upon arrival, all lambs are vaccinated to prevent pasteurellosis, pneumonia and clostridial diseases.
Protective fly casting is also used. From here, the lambs receive a monthly dose of cobalt as well as passing through a footbath containing zinc sulphate while in the mobile handling unit.
Anthelmintics and flukes are dosed if necessary according to the results of the dung sample.
Lambs are grazed across the farm during the winter months and are moved regularly to keep the grass fresh in front of them.
From January, lambs are fed concentrates on grass at a rate of 1kg/head/day of high-energy acorns.
Some stacked silage is also supplemented when the grass starts to get tight.
Some pastures are then closed after lambing to build grass covers and in order to provide a supply of grass for yearling cattle, which are produced in February.
All lambs are weighed regularly during concentrate feeding with the aim of carrying lambs with a live weight of up to 52kg.
The average carcass weight slaughtered in the spring of 2026 was 23.5kg, which Cassidy said was “slightly higher than desired and is an area for improvement next year”.
174 loads are in the “U” category, and the rest are in the “R” category.
Commenting on the store lambing system, Matthew Quinn, ABP Demo Farm manager, said: “We find store lambs very useful on the farm to leave quality grass in the spring for the cattle, especially if you have a wet spring like this year and are struggling to get cattle out.
“Other obvious benefits of the system are cash flow at this time of year for the beef production operation.
“It is also particularly useful for grazing reseeded land to encourage tillage and not damage new grass.
“Overall, the lambs have done very well this year on the farm.”
Farmers interested in learning more tips about the ABP Demo Farm store lamb storage system can contact a member of the ABP Farm Communications team.
