Many mart managers report sheep entries reducing to a low level, with spring lamb numbers slow to build and hogget throughput nearly dried up.
This is helping to insert more competition into the trade, but the wider gulf in quality is leading to a wide differential in prices paid.
There is also variability between prices paid in marts with a vibrant butcher and wholesale trade.
Prices paid for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg-plus hit a high point of €230 to €240-plus per head. Lighter lots weighing 45kg to 46kg sold in such sales from €220 to €233 on average.
This is in sharp contrast to sales reliant on factory agent activity, where prices ranged from €210 to €222 on average.
Lighter lots weighing from 40kg to 42kg sold from €204 to €214 for top-quality types attracting butcher or wholesale interest, back to less than €200 in marts with a more sluggish trade.
The trade has been helped over the last couple of days by activity from live exporters, with some also operating a weigh-and-pay system in a number of marts.
Hogget prices vary greatly. Good-quality heavier hoggets weighing from 55kg upwards are selling from €200 to €214 on average, but prices as far back as €180 have been paid for large-framed heavy hoggets lacking flesh cover.
There is some demand for ewe hoggets with breeding potential, but numbers have reduced greatly, with prices hitting €220 to €235-plus on occasion.
Store hogget prices range on average from €3.40/kg to €3.70/kg for longer-keep types, rising to €3.80/kg to €3.95/kg for hoggets presented with a good cover of flesh.
In the cull ewe ring, there is keener demand for lighter ewes. Ewes weighing around the 80kg mark are selling from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg, while lighter fleshed ewes are in cases topping this price range.
Heavy ewes weighing upwards of 95kg are in cases selling for a similar price to medium-weight lots.
Fleshed Scottish Blackface ewes are selling for €1.70/kg to upwards of €2/kg and falling back to €1.20/kg to €1.50/kg for lots lacking flesh cover.
Many mart managers report sheep entries reducing to a low level, with spring lamb numbers slow to build and hogget throughput nearly dried up.
This is helping to insert more competition into the trade, but the wider gulf in quality is leading to a wide differential in prices paid.
There is also variability between prices paid in marts with a vibrant butcher and wholesale trade.
Prices paid for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg-plus hit a high point of €230 to €240-plus per head. Lighter lots weighing 45kg to 46kg sold in such sales from €220 to €233 on average.
This is in sharp contrast to sales reliant on factory agent activity, where prices ranged from €210 to €222 on average.
Lighter lots weighing from 40kg to 42kg sold from €204 to €214 for top-quality types attracting butcher or wholesale interest, back to less than €200 in marts with a more sluggish trade.
The trade has been helped over the last couple of days by activity from live exporters, with some also operating a weigh-and-pay system in a number of marts.
Hogget prices vary greatly. Good-quality heavier hoggets weighing from 55kg upwards are selling from €200 to €214 on average, but prices as far back as €180 have been paid for large-framed heavy hoggets lacking flesh cover.
There is some demand for ewe hoggets with breeding potential, but numbers have reduced greatly, with prices hitting €220 to €235-plus on occasion.
Store hogget prices range on average from €3.40/kg to €3.70/kg for longer-keep types, rising to €3.80/kg to €3.95/kg for hoggets presented with a good cover of flesh.
In the cull ewe ring, there is keener demand for lighter ewes. Ewes weighing around the 80kg mark are selling from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg, while lighter fleshed ewes are in cases topping this price range.
Heavy ewes weighing upwards of 95kg are in cases selling for a similar price to medium-weight lots.
Fleshed Scottish Blackface ewes are selling for €1.70/kg to upwards of €2/kg and falling back to €1.20/kg to €1.50/kg for lots lacking flesh cover.
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