Tighter supplies in the wake of higher throughput for the Easter and Ramadan trade has left factory agents working harder to secure supplies.
Agents remain coy in their purchasing behaviour, but with factory prices steadying, they are keen to use mart sales as a means of bolstering supplies and are keen not to miss out on any deals.
Prices remain largely unchanged, with the best-quality heavier hoggets weighing upwards of 55kg selling on average from €165 to €172 and higher on occasion. Lighter lots weighing 48kg to 50kg continue to move from €152 to the mid-€160s and back to €145 for plainer-quality types.
Lamb throughput
Lamb throughput is running behind normal levels and influenced by a continued shift away from early lambing and weather challenges.
Nice-quality lambs weighing 46kg to 50kg are trading on average from €160 to €170. The best-quality lots attracting keen butcher attention are selling to the mid-€170s and higher on occasion.
A significant differential remains for lambs weighing 42kg to 45kg, with kill-out having a major effect on price.
Fleshed lots are hitting €155 to €160, with lots lacking flesh back to €150 and lower. Lighter lots around 40kg range from €100 to €115 over the weight.
Higher numbers of ewes with lambs at foot are appearing.
Twin lamb lots are averaging from €240 to €270 per unit, with select lots hitting €300 and higher.
Small-framed or crossbred and aged ewes are selling back to €150 for broken mouth lots with mixed quality lambs to €200 for better quality.
Single lamb lots are trading from €170 to €240 for good-quality units and back to €100 for crossbred or hill ewes with light lambs.
The general run of cull ewes are from €165 to €210 for large-framed heavy ewes, with lighter 80kg ewes from €130 to €160.
Scottish Blackface ewes and ewes lacking flesh continue to trade from €1/kg to €1.30/kg on average. The high numbers of ewes indicate that farmers are quick to move any ewes which experienced any issues.
