Factory quotes for lambs in the main export plants range this week from €5.50/kg to €5.55/kg.
This excludes the 10c/kg to 15c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment, with prices secured ranging from €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg.
This represents a reduction on last week’s quotes of 10c/kg to 30c/kg, with this price reduction occurring at the end of last week.
Factories were more confident on Wednesday of quotes hopefully holding at this level. However, they are still fearful of market conditions in France, which they say are volatile and being dented by cheaper imports, including Spanish lamb.
Demand has been very sluggish so far this week, with producers finding it hard to get numbers accepted for slaughter or facing delays from booking to slaughter. This is particularly the case for hoggets, with the trade in some plants under renewed pressure.
Irish Country Meats is the only export-orientated plant quoting for hoggets, with a base quote of €4.25/kg.
Prices reported as paid this week are generally averaging €4.50/kg, but there is a caveat to this, with penalties being applied to varying degrees on very heavy hoggets.
There are reports of top prices being curtailed in cases at €100 per head, while others are quoting very heavy lots weighing upwards of 30kg carcase weight at ewe prices.
Last week’s kill was recorded at 51,908 head. This includes 24,398 spring lambs, 20,233 hoggets and 7,277 ewes and rams.
It is a slight increase on the previous week and 3,817 head less than the corresponding week in 2018.
This reflects the fact that factories are managing throughput, with plants in 2018 working hard to secure this throughput while this year they are restricting throughput.
The trade in Northern Ireland is being affected by lower interest from buyers purchasing for direct slaughter in southern plants.
This has been especially evident in marts where buyers are active, but at a price.
Northern quotes have slipped to in the region of £4.20/kg.
Sterling has weakened from 86.6p to 88.2p to the euro, which equates to €4.76/kg and €5.02/kg including VAT at 5.4%.
Regular sellers are, in cases, securing 5p/kg to 10p/kg higher when bonus payments are included.
Ewe quotes are steady at a low level. Kildare Chilling and Ballon Meats remain in the best position, with quotes of €2.70/kg.
Other quotes range from €2.50/kg to €2.60/kg.
The reduction in quotes in recent weeks has also eased the trade for ewes in marts, with heavy ewes selling in the region of €90 to €100.
Read more
Sheep Watch: prices down €2 to €3/head on last week but signs of steadying
Northern trends: beef plants add 2p/kg to base quotes; lamb quotes down
Factory quotes for lambs in the main export plants range this week from €5.50/kg to €5.55/kg.
This excludes the 10c/kg to 15c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment, with prices secured ranging from €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg.
This represents a reduction on last week’s quotes of 10c/kg to 30c/kg, with this price reduction occurring at the end of last week.
Factories were more confident on Wednesday of quotes hopefully holding at this level. However, they are still fearful of market conditions in France, which they say are volatile and being dented by cheaper imports, including Spanish lamb.
Demand has been very sluggish so far this week, with producers finding it hard to get numbers accepted for slaughter or facing delays from booking to slaughter. This is particularly the case for hoggets, with the trade in some plants under renewed pressure.
Irish Country Meats is the only export-orientated plant quoting for hoggets, with a base quote of €4.25/kg.
Prices reported as paid this week are generally averaging €4.50/kg, but there is a caveat to this, with penalties being applied to varying degrees on very heavy hoggets.
There are reports of top prices being curtailed in cases at €100 per head, while others are quoting very heavy lots weighing upwards of 30kg carcase weight at ewe prices.
Last week’s kill was recorded at 51,908 head. This includes 24,398 spring lambs, 20,233 hoggets and 7,277 ewes and rams.
It is a slight increase on the previous week and 3,817 head less than the corresponding week in 2018.
This reflects the fact that factories are managing throughput, with plants in 2018 working hard to secure this throughput while this year they are restricting throughput.
The trade in Northern Ireland is being affected by lower interest from buyers purchasing for direct slaughter in southern plants.
This has been especially evident in marts where buyers are active, but at a price.
Northern quotes have slipped to in the region of £4.20/kg.
Sterling has weakened from 86.6p to 88.2p to the euro, which equates to €4.76/kg and €5.02/kg including VAT at 5.4%.
Regular sellers are, in cases, securing 5p/kg to 10p/kg higher when bonus payments are included.
Ewe quotes are steady at a low level. Kildare Chilling and Ballon Meats remain in the best position, with quotes of €2.70/kg.
Other quotes range from €2.50/kg to €2.60/kg.
The reduction in quotes in recent weeks has also eased the trade for ewes in marts, with heavy ewes selling in the region of €90 to €100.
Read more
Sheep Watch: prices down €2 to €3/head on last week but signs of steadying
Northern trends: beef plants add 2p/kg to base quotes; lamb quotes down
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