Forfar Mart sold 1,377 store and breeding sheep at a sale last week, with stores averaging £72.59, breeding ewes £60 and breeding ewe lambs £91.
The top-priced store lamb was £97, a large Suffolk store lamb. This was followed by £96.50 for a pen of cross-bred lambs.
Auctioneer Daniel Johnston.
The breeding sheep were a smaller trade than previous weeks, with a top of £108/head for Mule ewe lambs. Breeding ewes reached £77/head for a pen of Cheviot ewes.
Lawrie and Symington auctioneer Daniel Johnston said: “There is a very strong trade for store lambs at the moment and it seems to be the smaller the dearer. Compared to last year we are a good £10-£12 (€12 - €14) per head up across the board. Smaller lambs will be £15 (€18) up on the year.
These 21 cross lambs lambs sold for £76.50.
“Numbers are tightening which is helping the price. The good start of the store trade meant that farmers were marketing lambs sooner. This has continued through the season as prices pushed farmers to sell earlier. We will have one more dedicated store lamb sale at the end of November as numbers start to tail off.
“The lambs are in as good a condition in October as I have seen them. The warm weather in September has helped keep them growing.
These 37 Blackface lambs sold for £61.
“Buyers are telling me the store lambs are too expensive but I don’t think the price will crash. It might not be as high as this spring but I cant see trade collapsing.”
Across Scotland
The latest reports show a 1.1% increase in lamb numbers in Scotland compared to last year. The store lamb trade started strong this summer, with prices around 15% higher in August and September. The trade continued in an upward trajectory in September when the rise on the year grew to 25%, with the average store lamb costing £72.50/head (€86).
These 13 Mule lambs sold for £85.
Confidence is high in the sheep sector as these prices are coming at a time of strong volumes in the marts. Finishers will be hoping that the hogget trade is as strong, if not stronger than the good prices in 2020 and 2021.
One Suffolk lamb sold for £97.
But there is a worry that surging production costs and a the slower marketing profile of finished lambs across Britain could see a higher carryover of hoggets into 2023.
These 17 Mule lambs sold for £89.
Seven Texel lambs sold for £88.50.
These 14 Texel lambs sold for £85.50.
These 12 Texel-cross lambs sold for £82.
These 12 Texel lambs sold for £87.
Four Texel lambs sold for £65.
These two Mule lambs sold for £72.
Forfar Mart sold 1,377 store and breeding sheep at a sale last week, with stores averaging £72.59, breeding ewes £60 and breeding ewe lambs £91.
The top-priced store lamb was £97, a large Suffolk store lamb. This was followed by £96.50 for a pen of cross-bred lambs.
Auctioneer Daniel Johnston.
The breeding sheep were a smaller trade than previous weeks, with a top of £108/head for Mule ewe lambs. Breeding ewes reached £77/head for a pen of Cheviot ewes.
Lawrie and Symington auctioneer Daniel Johnston said: “There is a very strong trade for store lambs at the moment and it seems to be the smaller the dearer. Compared to last year we are a good £10-£12 (€12 - €14) per head up across the board. Smaller lambs will be £15 (€18) up on the year.
These 21 cross lambs lambs sold for £76.50.
“Numbers are tightening which is helping the price. The good start of the store trade meant that farmers were marketing lambs sooner. This has continued through the season as prices pushed farmers to sell earlier. We will have one more dedicated store lamb sale at the end of November as numbers start to tail off.
“The lambs are in as good a condition in October as I have seen them. The warm weather in September has helped keep them growing.
These 37 Blackface lambs sold for £61.
“Buyers are telling me the store lambs are too expensive but I don’t think the price will crash. It might not be as high as this spring but I cant see trade collapsing.”
Across Scotland
The latest reports show a 1.1% increase in lamb numbers in Scotland compared to last year. The store lamb trade started strong this summer, with prices around 15% higher in August and September. The trade continued in an upward trajectory in September when the rise on the year grew to 25%, with the average store lamb costing £72.50/head (€86).
These 13 Mule lambs sold for £85.
Confidence is high in the sheep sector as these prices are coming at a time of strong volumes in the marts. Finishers will be hoping that the hogget trade is as strong, if not stronger than the good prices in 2020 and 2021.
One Suffolk lamb sold for £97.
But there is a worry that surging production costs and a the slower marketing profile of finished lambs across Britain could see a higher carryover of hoggets into 2023.
These 17 Mule lambs sold for £89.
Seven Texel lambs sold for £88.50.
These 14 Texel lambs sold for £85.50.
These 12 Texel-cross lambs sold for £82.
These 12 Texel lambs sold for £87.
Four Texel lambs sold for £65.
These two Mule lambs sold for £72.
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