The sheep trade remains vibrant with factories all anxious for stock. Kildare Chilling is back processing and are already setting the benchmark in terms of quotes on offer.

The Kildare Chilling base price quoted for lambs is €5.10/kg plus their 10c/kg quality assurance bonus, while the ewe quotes is €2.50/kg plus 10c/kg QA to a maximum paid carcase weight of 40kg. The company says these quotes are for Monday and Tuesday.

There is a still a differential between what other plants are quoting and paying to regular sellers handling significant numbers.

Filling quota

Factory agents are finding it difficult to source their required quota with multiple reports of agents ringing producers over the weekend looking for sheep for Monday’s kill.

Prices on offer for regular sellers and large batches are quoted at a range of €5.25/kg to €5.30/kg. Sellers handling smaller numbers also have more negotiating power with an increasing percentage of lambs trading from a price range of €5.10/kg to €5.20/kg.

Numbers of finished lambs appearing in mart sales are small and this is also helping to keep a strong floor under the trade.

Firm ewe trade

The ewe trade is also firmer in places. Quotes are unchanged at a range of €2.50/kg to €2.60/kg. Factory agents are slow to pay higher prices of €2.65/kg to €2.70/kg but the activity of agents purchasing in marts shows those handling higher numbers are capable of securing a little extra from the market. As such, the mart is a good alternative to weigh up for those handling small numbers and struggling to negotiate on prices paid.

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