Lamb prices have increased by 15c/kg to 20c/kg this week as factories increase buying ahead of the religious festival of Eid al-Adha which takes place from 19 to 23 July.

Prices for Thursday range from €6.30/kg to €6.50/kg with factories particularly keen to tie into higher supplies for next week, which is likely to be their busiest week of the year.

The Eid al-Adha festival has been responsible for the largest weekly kills in recent years with throughput peaking at between 70,000 and 80,000 head.

This is significantly above the normal level in recent weeks of between 50,000 and 55,000 head.

Numbers are presently tighter as the festival has moved forward 10 days and is coinciding with weaning in many mid-season lambing flocks, while later lambing flocks have not started drafting lambs to any great degree.

The reason for the festival moving forward by 10 days is due to differences between the Georgian and Islamic calendars with this situation also pertaining to the Ramadan festival.

The festival has grown to such importance in terms of driving demand for lambs in recent years that some flock owners are now assessing breeding dates to ensure they are in the best position to capitalise on the increased demand.

Cull ewe trade

Meanwhile, the cull ewe trade continues at record levels with the live trade making all the headlines.

A number of marts have reported heavy-fleshed ewes weighing upwards of 95kg trading from €160 to €200 this week, with isolated prices reported as high as €220 for individual top-quality pedigree cull ewes.

Kilkenny Mart auctioneer George Chandler reports the trade for cull ewes has consistently been trending in the region of €40 to €45 above 2020 levels in recent weeks. The average price in last Monday’s sale was approximately €147 compared to €104 for the corresponding week in 2020.