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The sheep trade remains in a positive vein of form, with factories remaining keen to operate at a high level of throughput but continuing to struggle to source numbers similar to those handled in October.
Kildare Chilling continues to set the pace on the price front and has increased its quote by 10c/kg over the weekend to a base of €5.40/kg plus a 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) bonus.
This puts producers in a strong position of securing returns of €5.50/kg without requiring stronger negotiating power.
Other prices
The other export-orientated sheep plants are operating with opening quotes for QA lamb in the region of €5.35/kg to €5.45/kg.
Regular sellers are securing returns of €5.50/kg, while there are more producers now trading at the higher end of the market at a price range of €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg.
There are also deals on carcase weight, with factories in cases offering a paid carcase weight limit of 22.5kg.
Wholesale buyers are also very active in the market and have paid up to 23kg carcase weight in cases to sweeten the deal and close sales. This is typically at a maximum price of €5.50/kg to €5.55/kg.
He is also advising sellers to stay abreast of any price developments
IFA sheep chair Sean Dennehy is encouraging farmers to keep lambs moving as they come fit for slaughter and to weigh up the best outlet for the type of lambs on hand.
With significant movement in prices in recent weeks, he is also advising sellers to stay abreast of any price developments to ensure producers are receiving the optimum value for lambs.
Vibrant trade early this week
Mart sales held on Monday have recorded a vibrant trade.
Kilkenny Mart auctioneer George Candler said the supply and demand balance is now firmly in producers' favour, with a relatively small entry of 450 sheep meeting a full clearance.
Lambs weighing 50kg to 54kg exceeded the €120 mark and sold to €124 on average, while a pen of 58kg lambs topped the sale at €128.
Lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg are reported as selling from €113 to €115, while short-keep stores weighing 38kg to 41kg sold from the low-€90s to in excess of €100 per head.
Raphoe Mart in Co Donegal also reported on a vibrant trade.
The mart reports average prices for lambs weighing 48kg to 55kg ranging from €118 to €125 per head.
Lighter lots weighing 43kg to 47kg sold from €110 to €118, while light stores weighing 30kg to 35kg sold from €80 to €95.
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