Mart managers report more interest in store lambs this week following torrential rainfall and earlier housing of cattle.
There were mixed reports from sales held on Wednesday. Some mart managers reported lower sale entries due to weather, but buyers were generally out in force with little options to complete other jobs.
Prices for lowland store lambs are unchanged, with a high percentage trading within a range of €2.70/kg to €2.90/kg.
Select batches of top-quality store, including some ewe lamb lots with breeding potential, are selling to €3/kg and higher on occasion.
There is a wide variation in price for crossbred lambs. Better-quality and heavier lambs are trading from €2.55/kg to €2.80/kg, with plainer-quality lambs exhibiting more hill genetics and lighter lots selling anywhere back to €2/kg to €2.20/kg for very light lambs.
It is a similar story for Scottish Blackface lambs. Forward types and better-quality lambs are trading from €1.90/kg to €2.20/kg, with light lambs selling back to €1.50/kg to €1.70/kg and lower in cases.
The trade for finished lambs is solid, with butcher-type lambs continuing to command a premium on price. Lambs weighing upwards of 50kg are trading from €135 to €140 for average-quality lots, with top-quality lambs selling to the mid-€140s, rising to €150 for select heavier lambs attracting butcher-buyer demand.
Prices for lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg are hugely dependent on flesh cover and kill-out potential. Nicely-fleshed lambs are trading from €132 to €135, with lots lacking flesh cover back to the mid- to low-€120s.
Numbers of ewe hoggets are starting to fall off sharply. The general run of prices for better-quality types is €180 to €205, but there is still potential for excellent-quality lots to rise to €220 to €230.
Lighter hoggets are trading from €165 to €180, while plain-quality light hoggets are back to €140 to €150.
Prices for Cheviot hoggets range from as low as €120 to €150 for light hoggets to upwards of €200 to €220 for top-quality. Prices for Scottish Blackface hoggets also follow a wide differential from €100 to upwards of €200/head.
Mart managers report more interest in store lambs this week following torrential rainfall and earlier housing of cattle.
There were mixed reports from sales held on Wednesday. Some mart managers reported lower sale entries due to weather, but buyers were generally out in force with little options to complete other jobs.
Prices for lowland store lambs are unchanged, with a high percentage trading within a range of €2.70/kg to €2.90/kg.
Select batches of top-quality store, including some ewe lamb lots with breeding potential, are selling to €3/kg and higher on occasion.
There is a wide variation in price for crossbred lambs. Better-quality and heavier lambs are trading from €2.55/kg to €2.80/kg, with plainer-quality lambs exhibiting more hill genetics and lighter lots selling anywhere back to €2/kg to €2.20/kg for very light lambs.
It is a similar story for Scottish Blackface lambs. Forward types and better-quality lambs are trading from €1.90/kg to €2.20/kg, with light lambs selling back to €1.50/kg to €1.70/kg and lower in cases.
The trade for finished lambs is solid, with butcher-type lambs continuing to command a premium on price. Lambs weighing upwards of 50kg are trading from €135 to €140 for average-quality lots, with top-quality lambs selling to the mid-€140s, rising to €150 for select heavier lambs attracting butcher-buyer demand.
Prices for lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg are hugely dependent on flesh cover and kill-out potential. Nicely-fleshed lambs are trading from €132 to €135, with lots lacking flesh cover back to the mid- to low-€120s.
Numbers of ewe hoggets are starting to fall off sharply. The general run of prices for better-quality types is €180 to €205, but there is still potential for excellent-quality lots to rise to €220 to €230.
Lighter hoggets are trading from €165 to €180, while plain-quality light hoggets are back to €140 to €150.
Prices for Cheviot hoggets range from as low as €120 to €150 for light hoggets to upwards of €200 to €220 for top-quality. Prices for Scottish Blackface hoggets also follow a wide differential from €100 to upwards of €200/head.
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