Prices remain hugely variable, depending on ewe and lamb age and condition. At the top of the market, first- and second-crop ewes with twin lambs aged three to four weeks old are selling from €200 to €260 per head.

Aged and broken mouth ewes with average-quality twin lambs are selling from €130 to €180, with demand in many cases outstripping supply. Single lamb lots are selling from €110 for poor-quality outfits to €200 for second- and third-crop ewes and even higher for hogget ewes.

Fleshed factory lambs weighing 50kg upwards are selling in general from €118 to €126 per head, with butcher interest pushing a small percentage of lambs towards €128 to €130. Lambs lacking flesh are selling back to €115 per head. Short-keep stores, or lighter lambs suitable for slaughter and weighing 43kg to 47kg, are selling from €105 to €115. Stores weighing 38kg to 42kg are selling from €90 to €105, with a large range in the quality of lambs on offer.

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There are small numbers of in-lamb ewe lambs starting to come on stream. Quality is also hugely variable, with many poor-quality lots not sold or sold below equivalent weight lambs. Good-quality lots are trading from €130 to €150, although numbers traded to date are small.

The cull ewe trade has steadied after falls in recent weeks. Prices for slaughter-fit ewes range from €90 to €120 per head.

Ewes with average flesh cover are trading from €75 to €90, with hill ewes selling from €50 to €80.

Darren Carty