Any talk of a quietening in the sheep trade on Monday was well and truly dismissed in mart sales, with prices strengthening further on last week’s already vibrant trade.

The standout price reported from sales was €230 paid for a batch of six hoggets weighing 58kg in Kilkenny Mart.

There were a handful more standout prices, with the hammer falling on 11 quality hoggets weighing 55kg at €224, while another batch of 17 hoggets weighing 54kg sold for €220/head, with several more lots exceeding the €200/head mark.

It was a similar story in other mart sales. For example, there were three pens of hoggets exceeding the €200 mark in Athenry in last week’s sale, while, at this week’s sale, over 15 lots exceeded the €200 mark, selling to a top of €215/head.

Solid demand

Some factory agents were last week reporting that demand this week would be quieter following the start of Ramadan (10 March) in their attempts to entice higher numbers forward. However, demand is starting the week in a solid manner.

There is no real change in base quotes, with Kildare Chilling continuing to lead the line with its base quote of €8/kg plus the plant's 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment.

Competing plants continue to quote in the region of €7.85/kg to €7.95/kg or the equivalent of €8.05/kg to €8.10/kg for QA hoggets.

Sellers with any level of negotiating power are securing returns ranging from €8.10/kg to €8.20/kg.

Producer groups are trading anywhere from €8.15/kg to €8.30/kg and higher when conformation bonuses or allowances for transport costs are taken into account. Carcase weight limits also range from 23kg to 24kg.

Specialist finishers and producers handling very large numbers are securing higher, with reports indicating prices at the top end of the market are rising upwards of €8.40/kg.

This excludes prices paid to agents, which, going on mart sales, would need to be considerably higher to cover costs.

Northern trade

The trade in Northern Ireland continues to gain upward momentum, with factories raising quotes to compete with agents purchasing sheep for export to Ireland and Britain.

Reports indicate that upwards of 13,000 sheep were exported from Northern Ireland last week.

Prices reported are in the region of £6.70/kg to £6.80/kg (€7.85/kg to €7.97/kg at 85.3p to the euro), despite base quotes running at a lower level.

Prices at the top end of the market are running at a higher level, with reports indicating that up to £7/kg has been paid for large consignments.

Ewe trade

The ewe trade is also firm, with prices in the main ranging from €3.30/kg to €3.40/kg for small numbers in the main processing plants.

Prices in plants or abattoirs specialising in the trade for top-quality ewes are rising to upwards of €3.60/kg to €3.70/kg.