Demand for cull ewes in mart sales is outstripping supplies. Mart managers report a sharper trade, with prices for the best-quality ewes continuing to edge upwards.

There is a growing percentage of fleshed ewes trading from €2.60/kg to €2.80/kg, with select lots of young and well-conformed ewes hitting €3/kg in cases and, on rare occasions, exceeding this mark.

Ewes with an average cover of flesh continue to, in most cases, top the €2/kg mark for lowland types, with Scottish Blackface ewes selling from €1.30/kg to €1.80/kg depending on carcase weight or quality and back to €1/kg for ewes lacking significant flesh cover.

Mart managers reported steady hogget prices earlier in the week, but pressure has returned to the trade on the back of factories reducing quotes midweek.

Hoggets weighing 50kg to 52kg have averaged from €192 to €203 in recent days, with quality having a big bearing on price.

Heavier types have sold in the main from €200 to €208, with small numbers rising to €210 to €212/head. Reports of such prices have been harder come by as the week progresses.

The pressure on the trade is feeding down through the weight categories, but not to the same extent, with many managers reporting agents exhibiting a stronger appetite for lighter lots.

This has witnessed hoggets weighing 47kg to 48kg recording an average price of €3.85/kg to €3.90/kg for good-quality types.

The trade for stores is more subdued as a result of the price pressure, with lowland stores ranging from €3.50/kg to €3.70/kg, with ewe lambs with breeding potential in some instances recording a premium on price.

The number of ewes with lambs at foot is slowly increasing, with plenty of demand for quality outfits. Single-lamb lots have sold anywhere from €200 for aged and light-framed ewes and lambs to upwards of €300 for younger ewes or those with the potential to realise a strong cull ewe value and good-quality lambs. Twin-lamb outfits are selling anywhere from €270 per outfit to as high as €400 and over for quality lots and strong lambs at foot.