The sheep trade has held largely steady over the last week, despite some factories citing the possibility of weaker trading conditions.

The return of Kildare Chilling to the quotes table after an absence of more than five weeks will be welcomed by many producers, as it leads to an increase in price.

The plant is quoting a base of €6.20/kg plus 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment for Thursday and says this price is for good-quality lambs meeting desired specifications.

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The plant’s quote has direct benefits for producers trading directly with the plant, but will also mean a price increase of 3c/kg to 7c/kg for many members of producer groups working on a pricing mechanism of an average of base quotes.

Base quotes in other plants remain at €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg, with a high percentage of QA lambs trading from €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg.

Top prices paid to those handling large numbers and for lambs paid conformation bonuses are in the region of €6.35/kg to €6.40/kg.

Kill figures

Last week’s kill was unchanged at 59,091 head. The kill is about 1,600 head lower than the corresponding week in 2022.

However, it should be noted that there was a dip in the kill for that week in 2022.

There are considerable differences in the breakdown of the kill. Lamb throughput was recorded at 50,178 head, about 4,500 higher year on year, while ewe throughput of 8,551 head was 5,000 lower than in 2022.

Ewe trade

Ewe quotes are broadly static at a range of €2.80/kg to €2.90/kg. Plants and abattoirs specialising in ewes are paying €3.30/kg to €3.50/kg for top-quality ewes, with higher prices recorded for large batches.

This is reflected in mart sales where a brisk trade remains for top-quality ewes.

Kildare Chilling has introduced a new pricing schedule for ewes.

Heavier fleshed ewes delivering a carcase weighing 35kg to 40kg are being quoted a price of €2.90/kg plus 10c/kg QA payment.

Ewes weighing 23kg to 34kg are quoted at €2.60/kg plus 10c/kg QA, while poor-quality and underfleshed ewes are quoted a price of €2/kg.

Farmers need to continue to weigh up their best outlet for ewes. There are significant differences in carcase weight limits and prices between factories with top prices from €120 to €145. The mart trade remains the most lucrative outlet for heavy fleshed ewes.

Northern trade

Factories in NI are trying to reduce base quotes to £5.15/kg (€5.99/kg), but reports indicate a high percentage of lambs continue to trade from £5.20/kg to £5.30/kg.

Last week’s sheep kill of 11,815 was up 600 head on the previous week and is the largest kill in 2023.

The number of sheep exported south for direct slaughter reduced by 2,263 to 6,433 sheep.