The sheep trade remains in a vulnerable position, with factories painting a picture of poor demand in export markets and downward pressure on prices.
Base quotes for Monday were in the region of €6.20/kg in the majority of plants, down at least 10c/kg on last week.
Some plants are not quoting for Tuesday and comment that they have sufficient lambs on hand to cater for their target kill.
Price range
Prices paid to producers with less negotiating power range anywhere from €6.30/kg to €6.45/kg.
Those trading through producer groups or with greater negotiating power have secured returns ranging from €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg.
Higher prices have been paid on Monday, but this has been where lambs were sold in advance, with all plants moving to reduce prices at the upper end of the price range.
This has had a knock-on effect on the mart trade, with prices back by €3 to €7 on the week.
Sales held on Monday recorded prices ranging from €143 to €147 for good-quality fleshed lowland lambs weighing from 48kg to 53kg.
A selection of heavier, excellent-quality lots weighing up to 60kg sold to the mid-€150s.
At the other end of the quality spectrum, lambs lacking flesh sold back to €135/head.
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