Somewhat of a stalemate has developed between factories and some sellers in the sheep trade this week.

Groups and sellers which last week had secured a guaranteed base price of €6.10/kg are back working off a base price of €6/kg for the start of this week.

Reports indicate this has led some producers to delay moving lambs, favouring letting lambs feed into heavier weights.

Numbers coming on stream are broadly similar with other producers drafting higher numbers.

Base quotes range from €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg excluding quality assurance (QA) payments across the plants.

This leaves significant numbers of QA lambs trading from €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg, with prices at the higher end of the market including conformation bonuses rising to €6.40/kg to €6.45/kg.

Mart sales

Numbers appearing in mart sales on Monday are steady, with entries of top-quality lambs remaining in tight supply.

The highest prices for butcher or wholesale type lambs weighing upwards of 50kg range in the main from €148 to €155, with small numbers exceeding this range.

Lambs weighing 48kg to 49kg are trading in a wide differential, ranging on average from €135 to €145, with poorly fleshed lambs selling back to the low €130s.

Ewe trade

Ewe quotes have eased in a couple of plants, leaving quotes ranging from €2.80/kg to €2.90/kg in the main processing plants.

Prices in plants or abattoirs specialising in the ewe trade are upwards of €3.30/kg.

The mart trade remains the most lucrative outlet for heavy fleshed ewes capable of delivering high-quality carcases.