Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show a huge increase in the number of sheep slaughtered last week.

The week before, the sheep kill amounted to 37, 957 head, while last week's figures show nearly a 10,000 head increase for the week ending April 18.

In total, for the week ending April 18, the sheep kill amounted to 47,822 - an increase of 9,865 head.

Sharp increases were seen in all categories - spring lamb, hogget, and ewe and ram throughput. The number of hoggets processed came to 37,573 head - an increase of 6,138 head.

Spring lamb throughput for the week ending April 18, totalled 5,245 head - which was a rise of 2,748 head on the week before.

Ewe and ram throughput amounted to 4,999 head - which also saw an increase, this time of 977 head.

Looking at throughput figures to date, 684,630 sheep have been processed thus far.

Of that figure, 597,306 head have been hoggets, while 9,132 have consisted of spring lambs.

Ewe and ram throughput makes up the rest – at 78,102 head.

If we compare figures to date this year, against the same period in 2020, we can see that the total number of sheep slaughtered is back 58,388 head.

51,140 fewer hoggets have been processed to date in comparison to the same period last year.

10,266 fewer ewes and rams have been slaughtered as well, with only spring lamb throughput seeing an increase on this time last year (up 2,946 head).