This week’s sheep trade has started in a much stronger position, with prices rising by as much as 20c/kg to 30c/kg since Saturday.

Factory agents have become much more active in sourcing lambs, with this evident in mart sales and also in direct farm sales.

Producers handling large numbers and trading at the higher end of the market or those trading through producer groups have seen top prices rise to €6.70/kg to €6.80/kg.

The strength of the trade was evident in many groups being initially quoted a base price of €6.15/kg to €6.20/kg on Friday and being subsequently contacted with a higher base quote of €6.35/kg to €6.40/kg to ensure lambs were not diverted elsewhere.

Competition

Competition has also stepped up a notch, leading to many plants offering sellers handling large numbers payment to 22.5kg carcase weight to secure the sale. Other sellers are digging in and negotiating allowances on transport costs.

It is important that sellers with good selling power stay abreast of trade developments to ensure they are getting optimum returns for their lambs.

Base quotes for Tuesday have increased by 20c/kg on last Thursday’s level and range from €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg.

This is leaving sellers trading individually without any additional negotiating power moving lambs from €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, with Kildare Chilling continuing to set the pace with regards to upward momentum.

While there is variance in base quotes, reports indicate all factories are willing to match top prices available, particularly where there are significant numbers on offer.

Mart trade

The jump in the deadweight trade has also transferred immediately across to the live trade, with prices in many sales for good-quality lambs already running ahead of equivalent deadweight prices.

The top prices recorded in Mountbellew Mart in Co Galway in its sale on Saturday hit €160/head on a number of occasions for top-quality fleshed lambs weighing in excess of 50kg, with factory agents locking horns with butcher buyers.

The general run of prices for top-quality lots ranged from €146 to €152, with similar-weight lambs lacking flesh or of poorer quality selling back to €140 to €143/head.

Kilkenny Mart also recorded a vibrant trade on Monday, with top prices also exceeding the €160 mark, with the hammer falling at €164 for a pen of 20 lambs weighing 54kg.

Other lots of heavier lambs weighing 57kg to 58kg also exceeded the €160 mark, while lambs weighing in the low-50kg range sold from €150 to €156.

It was a similar story in Ennis Mart in Co Clare where prices were higher by €7 to €8 per head week on week and also hitting a top of €160.

Heavy, well-fleshed lambs weighing 57kg to 61kg sold from €155 to €158, with lambs weighing 50kg to 53kg selling from €150 to €154 for top-quality lots, while plainer-quality and lambs weighing 48kg to 49kg sold from €144 to €148.

Ewe trade

The ewe trade is also edging upwards, with factory quotes up by 10c/kg and liveweight prices up anywhere from €3 to €5/head, although significant variation exists between prices paid in different marts.

The general factory quote is €3.10/kg, but up to €3.30/kg is being paid to sellers trading ewes in the main plants, while prices in plants specialising in top-quality ewes for niche market demand are rising to €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg.