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It is beginning to feel like the 1993 film Groundhog Day in the marts. In that film, the star actor is forced to live the same day over and over again. Sheep finishers have been experiencing a similar feeling with the mart trade every week for over a month now.
Factory agents are present, but are rigidly holding to factory paid weight limits, which is depressing producers.
This week, factory hoggets weighing 46kg to 48kg are selling from €95 to €102/head, or €49 to €54 over. This time last year, the same weight hoggets were selling for €110 to €120/head.
Finishing costs are also substantial at this time of year, quickly eroding margins. However, this time last year, sterling was far stronger, with one euro equivalent to £0.76; today a weak sterling (€1 = £0.86) has implications for both imports and exports, which affect farmgate prices.
Heavier hoggets weighing over 50kg sold from €102/head to €105/head in the main, but suitable butcher hoggets sold for €107/head. Short-keep store hoggets weighing 42kg to 45kg are selling from €88 to €94/head. Lighter store hoggets weighing 36kg to 39kg are selling for €73 to €75/head.
The cull ewe trade is holding steady too. Some large-framed fleshed ewes are selling for €106 to €107/head. The majority of fleshed ewes are selling for €80 to €100/head. Feeding ewes are moving at €50 to €75/head. Older ewes scanned in-lamb carrying singles are selling from €100 to €130/head. Three- and four-year-old ewes scanned carrying an average of 1.5 lambs are selling for €150 to a tops of €180/head.
Younger good-quality ewes scanned in-lamb carrying two lambs sold as high as €200/head. Aged ewes with twin lambs at foot are selling from €200 to €250, back to €130 to €180 for singles.
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