Mart sales held on Tuesday and Wednesday witnessed huge pressure on the lamb trade, with prices falling by upwards of €20 to €30/head.
The greatest pressure was felt in sales which in the previous week had a buoyant wholesale and live export demand and which this week were reliant solely on factory buyers.
In the worst affected cases, prices fell by as much as €30 to €40/head, with prices back in line with factory returns.
Prices for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg-plus ranged in the main from €200 to €206/head, with select lots selling to €210/head in small numbers.
Well-fleshed lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg and capable of killing out at maximum paid carcase weight limits sold from €192 to €200, with lots lacking flesh cover at €180/head.
Lighter lambs weighing 40kg to 42kg were more variable in price, with flesh cover and potential slaughter performance having a big bearing. Prices ranged from the mid-€160s for lambs short of flesh cover to €180-plus for top-quality lambs.
Hogget numbers are falling fast, with a big push over the last week to get numbers out ahead of this week’s Islamic religious festival of Eid al-Adha (26 to 30 May).
Wether and ewe hoggets not destined for breeding and weighing 53kg to 56kg-plus sold in the main from €185 to €195, with prices in cases topping €200/head, while ewe hoggets with breeding potential rose to €220 to €230 and higher in isolated cases. Lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg sold anywhere from €170 to €190, depending on condition.
The cull trade is unchanged. Heavy ewes weighing upwards of 90kg to 100kg are trading from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg, while lighter ewes weighing 80kg to 85kg range in price from €2.30/kg to €2.65/kg.
There are very few lowland ewes dropping below €2/kg, while fleshed Scottish Blackface ewes are hitting similar prices and falling back to €1.30/kg to €1.50/kg for light carcase ewes of mixed quality.
Second- and third-crop lowland ewes with good-quality twin lambs are trading from €330 to €400-plus per unit, with aged and poorer-quality back to €230 to €250.
Single-lamb lots start at €170 to €200, rising to €270 to €300 for young ewes and quality lambs.
Mart sales held on Tuesday and Wednesday witnessed huge pressure on the lamb trade, with prices falling by upwards of €20 to €30/head.
The greatest pressure was felt in sales which in the previous week had a buoyant wholesale and live export demand and which this week were reliant solely on factory buyers.
In the worst affected cases, prices fell by as much as €30 to €40/head, with prices back in line with factory returns.
Prices for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg-plus ranged in the main from €200 to €206/head, with select lots selling to €210/head in small numbers.
Well-fleshed lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg and capable of killing out at maximum paid carcase weight limits sold from €192 to €200, with lots lacking flesh cover at €180/head.
Lighter lambs weighing 40kg to 42kg were more variable in price, with flesh cover and potential slaughter performance having a big bearing. Prices ranged from the mid-€160s for lambs short of flesh cover to €180-plus for top-quality lambs.
Hogget numbers are falling fast, with a big push over the last week to get numbers out ahead of this week’s Islamic religious festival of Eid al-Adha (26 to 30 May).
Wether and ewe hoggets not destined for breeding and weighing 53kg to 56kg-plus sold in the main from €185 to €195, with prices in cases topping €200/head, while ewe hoggets with breeding potential rose to €220 to €230 and higher in isolated cases. Lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg sold anywhere from €170 to €190, depending on condition.
The cull trade is unchanged. Heavy ewes weighing upwards of 90kg to 100kg are trading from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg, while lighter ewes weighing 80kg to 85kg range in price from €2.30/kg to €2.65/kg.
There are very few lowland ewes dropping below €2/kg, while fleshed Scottish Blackface ewes are hitting similar prices and falling back to €1.30/kg to €1.50/kg for light carcase ewes of mixed quality.
Second- and third-crop lowland ewes with good-quality twin lambs are trading from €330 to €400-plus per unit, with aged and poorer-quality back to €230 to €250.
Single-lamb lots start at €170 to €200, rising to €270 to €300 for young ewes and quality lambs.
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