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Prices in mart sales have increased by €3 to €5 in recent days with some managers recording prices of up to €8 higher than the previous week’s sales.
Hogget supplies in mart sales have fallen to very low levels with only tail-end supplies or small numbers of ewe hoggets appearing.
Numbers trading direct with factories have also reduced with supplies primarily in the hands of specialised finishers. With spring lamb numbers also slow to build, factory agents are having to work harder to underpin throughput.
Average prices in mart sales have increased by €3 to €5 per head in recent days with some mart managers reporting an increase of up to €8 per head in the space of a week for the better quality lambs on offer.
The trade is being helped by butchers competing with greater intensity with factory agents, while the upcoming Ramadan festival, which starts on 26 or 27 May, and lasts a month is also boosting demand.
Hogget supplies
Monday’s sale in Kilkenny Mart recorded a continued upward trend with hogget supplies described as being almost dried up. Manager Michael Lynch reported spring lamb prices increasing by €5 to €10 per head with fleshed lambs especially in demand.
This saw a differential of €5 to €7 between lambs of similar weight but possessing a significant difference in flesh cover. Lambs weighing 50kg to 54kg sold from €122 to €130, while a pen of top-quality 49kg lambs sold for up to €132 per head.
Lighter fleshed lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg are reported as selling from €120 to €125 per head.
Heavy lambs
The trade in Raphoe was also sharper than the week previous. Heavy lambs weighing 46kg to 53kg sold from €118 to €127 per head with lambs weighing 40kg to 45kg selling from €110 to €118.
Again, there was a differential of €5 per head between top-quality and lesser-quality lots. Demand for light lambs has also lifted with 37kg to 42kg lambs selling in general from €100 to €110.
Hoggets are selling from €110 to €118 for slaughter-fit lots weighing 50kg to 58kg. There is strong interest in ewe hoggets suitable for breeding with prices rising to €130, while a few exceptional quality lots continue to record higher prices around the country.
The gap between good-quality and average-quality cull ewes has narrowed. There are very few light or poor-quality cull ewes selling below €50 with the general run of prices from €50 to €65 for poor-quality lots and up to €80 for lots with an average cover of flesh.
Good-quality lowland ewes are selling for up to €105, while large-framed heavy ewes are selling from €110 to €120.
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