JANUARY
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Epiphany (Christian) | Lamb is featured in many celebration meals. | Recently weaned and milk fed lambs are preferred. | Lower market volumes generally. |
FEBRUARY
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Chinese (Lunar) New Year | Both mutton and lamb are used in a variety of dishes and is a favourite ingredient in hot pots. | Lower market volume |
MARCH
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Easter | Easter holiday inventory buildup. | Growth in supply following winter, with Easter demand increase. |
APRIL
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Passover (Jewish) 8 days | Traditionally must be processed under Kosher laws. | Healthy finished lambs. (up to 64 lbs live weight; ideally milk fed and fat) | Steady market. A limited influence. |
| Western Easter & Eastern Orthodox Easter | Roast lamb is a main festive meal for European (Italian, Portuguese, and Greek) heritages. | Healthy young lambs. (under 60 lbs live weight; ideally milk fed and fat) Numbers of lambs under 65 lb begin to increase in three weeks before Easter, and peaks during the week before Easter.
Numbers of 65-79lb lambs will increase during this time as well. |
Higher market demand in 2 to 3-week period preceding holiday. Hint: check local auction schedules for ‘special’ Easter sale dates. |
| Ramadan (Islam) | Some celebrations will occur prior to start of Ramadan | Weaned market lambs (60-90 lbs live weight) | A moderate market factor for week leading into Ramadan |
MAY
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Start of barbeque season which more frequently featuring Ontario lamb. | Mod demand. Processors see an increase in BBQ lamb demand from May to August. | Commonly higher supply and slightly higher but still moderate demand. | |
| Eid al-Fitr (Islam)
Festival of Fast Breaking |
Celebrations occur during the fast break period which will feature lamb products. | Weaned market lambs 60 – 90 lbs liveweight. Lower demand for heavy lambs. | A moderate market factor for the week leading into Ramadan. |
JUNE
None
JULY
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Eid al Adha (Festival of Sacrifice, Eid) (Islam)
A peak sale period in year. |
Eid, the festival of sacrifice, is one of the most important observances in the Islamic faith.
(This may be referred to as Qurbani, though this refers to the actual act of animal processing.) |
Lambs (70 – 110 lbs live weight)
Desired weight differs across different communities. Lambs should be under a year of age and be unblemished. Blemishes may include open wounds, torn ears or other physical unsoundness. Wethers and lambs with docked tails may not be acceptable to some buyers. |
High market demand in period leading up to holiday. Peak demand is in week preceding holiday.
Note: There is a high activity level of private holiday sales sought by families for this important celebration period. |
| Muharram (Islamic New Year) | The Islamic New Year is the first day of the Muslim calendar. Mutton is often served as the main course for this holiday meal. | There is no preferred weight for this holiday, although animals should appear healthy. | Steady market. A limited influencer. |
AUGUST
None
SEPTEMBER
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year | Lamb is a tradition or symbol of a new beginning. | Forequarters from weaned market lambs
(60 – 109 lbs live weight) |
Steady market. A limited influencer. |
OCTOBER
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Thanksgiving | Lamb is an alternative to turkey. | Steady demand with slow year over year consumer demand increase. | Steady market. A limited influencer. |
NOVEMBER
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Stew/casserole are growing in seasonal popularity | Lower but steady demand during transition from Thanksgiving into Christmas period. | Lower market volumes. |
DECMBER
| HOLIDAY | CONSUMPTION | MARKET NEEDS | PUBLIC AUCTION MARKET IMPACT |
| Chanukah (Festival of Rededication) (Jewish) 8 days | Traditionally meats must be processed according to Kosher law. | Healthy heavy lambs. (up to 100 lbs live weight) | Usually occurs close to Christian Christmas which leads to high demand. |
| Christmas Day to New Year (Christian)
A peak sale period in year. |
Lamb is a feature at Christmas parties (lamb- pops, spiedini, roasts). Leg of lamb, stews and curries are food staples. | Lambs should be freshly weaned (milk fed), up to 80 lbs, and not older than 3 months of age. Out- of-season breeding is required to produce the favoured type of lamb for this market.
Cull sheep are popular for stew and curry. |
Higher market demand in 2 to 3-week period preceding holiday. |