There is much more life entering the lamb trade in recent days. Factory agents have become a lot more active in sourcing lambs and are willing to pay above the quoted prices to secure sales.

Sellers with numbers on hand are in the best position, with prices at the higher end of the market ranging from €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg. There were also a few reports yesterday of some sellers holding out for more.

Sellers handling smaller numbers and possessing lower negotiating power are, in general, securing prices of €5.00/kg to €5.05/kg, with quality assurance, in cases, influencing prices paid.

The strengthening in the trade is not being reflected in quotes, which is angering those in producer groups who say that farmers selling individually and not subject to the same tight specifications are securing equivalent prices.

Quotes remain unchanged from last week, with the two ICM plants and Ballyhaunis quoting a base of €4.80/kg.

Moyvalley has upped its quote 20c/kg since last week to €4.90/kg, a similar base quote as offered by Kepak. Ballon Meats is on an all-in quote of €5.00/kg and while Kildare Chilling is not quoting, reports indicate its base quote is €5.00/kg excluding the 10c/kg QA bonus, which puts them well on top of the quotes table.

Live exporter demand

Another feature is growing demand from live exporters, which is adding another element of competition to the trade.

Prices are variable depending on the type of lamb, with a general price range reported of €2.20/kg to €2.30/kg for fleshed lambs weighing 42kg to 46kg, with a lower price per kilo in cases for heavier lambs. The best demand is for ram lambs with tails.

IFA national sheep chair John Lynskey said: “The lamb trade has strengthened, with factories paying up to €5.20/kg to get scarce supplies. Carcase weights are also rising, with some paying up to 22kg.”

Northern trade

Northern plants have also increased their base quotes by 5p/kg, with quotes ranging from £4.00/kg to £4.05/kg. This is the equivalent of €4.67/kg to €4.72/kg at Wednesday afternoon’s exchange rate of 90.3p to the euro.

Plants are paying above quoted prices to secure sales, with producers trading at the higher end of the market securing £4.10/kg to £4.15/kg (€4.79/kg to €4.85/kg).

The number of sheep imported south for direct slaughter is steady, with 7,528 head travelling south last week.

British prices have stabilised, with prices ranging from £4.30/kg to £4.40/kg (€5.01/kg to €5.14/kg).

Ewe throughput appears to be reducing following a sharp rise after weaning. Quotes are mainly €2.70/kg with top prices of €2.80/kg to €2.90/kg.

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