Spring lamb entries have again been reportedly low this week.
The Easter market had scooped up the majority of spring lamb, with producers targeting lambs for the buoyant trading week.
The majority of spring lambs passing through marts are in the sub-45kg bracket.
With less spring lamb seen around rings, butcher buying has also slowed down.
Prices reported for heavier lambs weighing from 45kg to 48kg are averaging in the region of €195 to €220, with butcher or wholesale buyer attention needed to push lambs to the higher price.
Lambs weighing 42kg to 44kg are selling anywhere from €175 to €195, with quality and kill-out potential having a major influence on prices paid.
Lighter fleshed lambs weighing 38kg to 40kg are trading from the high-€150s to upwards of €170 for the best-quality lots on offer.
The hogget trade is steady in the main, with factory agents competing for smaller entries.
Plainer-quality or hoggets lacking good flesh cover are seeing some price pressure, though mart managers are reporting that agents are still keen to secure numbers and are unwilling to let hoggets go unsold.
Heavier fleshed hoggets weighing upwards of 52kg to 55kg are breaching the €200 mark in the main and selling to €215 on average, with heavy lots to €220 and over.
Hoggets weighing 50kg are selling anywhere from €190 to €205, with kill-out a greater influence for lighter lots.
Demand for store hoggets is unchanged amid the strong finished trade. Good-quality hoggets weighing around the 40kg mark are trading in the main from €140 to €150/head, with hoggets of varying quality falling either side of this price range.
The cull ewe trade remains much the same, with an increase in factory price at the latter end of this week likely to push mart prices up slightly.
A high percentage of fleshed ewes continue to top the €2/kg mark, selling all the way to €2.40/kg to €2.50/kg for the highest-quality lots.
Medium-quality ewes are selling from €1.50/kg to €1.85/kg, while poorly fleshed or hill ewes are selling back to €1/kg.
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