Throughput of hoggets in marts is slowly waning, but it remains well above the norm of recent years.

This is leaving factories continuing to focus on hoggets, with spring lamb prices variable as a result.

Where butcher buyers are active, spring lambs are making a premium over equivalent factory prices and this is attracting higher numbers forward to some sales. Demand outside of this is more variable and lambs are in line with factory prices.

Prices for hoggets are unchanged, but more variation is apparent due to quality becoming more mixed and tail-end lots appearing in bigger numbers.

Fleshed hoggets weighing upwards of 50kg are generally selling from €160 to €168, with heavier lots and some top-quality ewe hoggets rising to the low-€170s.

Plainer-quality types in contrast are falling back to €150 to €155/head, with lots lacking significant flesh meeting a more challenging trade.

Lambs weighing 42kg to 45kg are trading on average from €146 to €158, depending on quality, with small numbers in this weight category exceeding this range.

Meanwhile, heavier lambs weighing from 46kg to 49kg are selling from upwards of €150 for plainer-quality or aged lambs to the mid- to high-€160s mark and on occasion to €170 to €175 and higher for excellent-quality lots.

Heavy cull ewes are selling on average from €160 to €195, with fewer numbers exceeding the €200 mark. This is generally confined to very heavy ewes in excess of 100kg or top-quality well-conformed ewes.

Ewes weighing 80kg to 85kg are selling in a wider price differential from €120 to €170, with quality again variable.

Likewise, lighter ewes weighing 70kg to 75kg are selling from under the €100 mark for lots lacking flesh to €120 to €130 for better-quality fleshed ewes.

Ewes with twin lambs at foot, including lots comprising aged ewes and young lambs, remain in a price range of €200 to €240 on average, with younger ewes and units with large-framed ewes and strong lambs rising to €270 and in cases to €300 and higher.

Hill ewes with Scotch lambs at foot are trading anywhere from €150 to €220. Single-lamb lots are starting at €100 to €120 for Scotch types and rising to over €200 for lowland units.