Butcher demand for heavy lambs remains steady, with the majority of those over 50kg selling from €103 to €110/head for good-quality types, with heavy lambs carrying a little less flesh making from €97 to €100/head.

Mart managers are reporting a slight improvement in the prices paid for factory types, but only in the region of €1 to €2/head.

Lambs from 45kg to 48kg are selling mainly from €94 to €99/head at the upper end of the market and are averaging at about €94/head, up by about €1/head on last week.

Where lambs are coming to the fore that are slightly under-fleshed in that weight range, prices range mainly from €87 to €90/head.

Store lamb demand has improved slightly, driven by increased farmer demand. Those from 37kg to 42kg are selling mainly from €77 to €84/head, up by about €2 to €3/head on last week.

Lighter types from 34kg to 37kg have been met with an improvement also, but this has been primarily driven by an increase in the supply of light lowland store lambs.

Prices for these are ranging mainly from €70 to €75/head, with good-quality mountain types in the same weight range making from €50 to €65/head.

Hill store lambs remain a steady trade, with prices ranging mainly from €1.30/kg to €1.60/kg being paid for average-quality types, with top-quality hill lambs making up to €1.70/kg.