Mart managers in all regions are reporting a significant increase in mart throughput over the last week.

Sale entries of lambs are up by 20% to 30% in cases and this is stemming from higher numbers of store lambs coming on stream and also from producers concerned about the slaughter performance of lambs and opting to sell live.

The latter point is leading to prices for similar-weight lambs varying by upwards of €10 to €15/head. Supplies of well-fleshed butcher-type lambs weighing from 48kg to 50kg upwards are tight.

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Prices reported for such lambs range from €140 to €150, with differences in marts depending on butcher activity.

Prices paid for factory-weight lambs are dictated by flesh cover and likely slaughter performance.

Lambs weighing 46kg to 49kg are selling anywhere from €125 for lots lacking flesh to €137 to €140 for lambs with a good cover of flesh and positive kill-out potential.

There are also more reports of lambs being poorly batched and this is said to be significantly dampening the level of competition.

Lighter lambs weighing 43kg to 44kg are trading anywhere from €115 for lambs which require significant feeding to €128 to €134 on average for young, well-fleshed lots.

The increase in store lambs coming on stream has put pressure on prices, with plainer-quality types most affected.

Good-quality and well-presented lowland store lambs are trading from €2.60/kg to €2.80/kg on average. Lesser-quality types and poorly presented lambs are 10c/kg lower, while crossbred and hill lambs are selling from €2.20/kg to €2.40/kg, depending on quality.

There is also a massive variation in the hogget trade. Special sales are recording prices for top-quality hoggets ranging from €200 to €250/head.

Average-quality lots are trading from €180 to €200/head, while small-framed hoggets with less potential are meeting a challenging trade and selling back to €150 to €160/head.

The number of hoggets on offer is slowly increasing, with special sales ramping up over the next week.