The trade for ewe hoggets remains disappointing, with a sluggish demand tempering prices paid.

A significant percentage of good-quality hoggets are trading from €240 to €280/head with only top-quality lots rising to upwards of €300/head.

At the other end of the quality spectrum, small-framed and light ewe hoggets are selling back to €200/head and under.

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Numbers on offer continue to run ahead of demand, with more farmers operating a dry hogget enterprise in recent years. Some mart managers are hoping payments this week under the Areas of Natural Constraint may boost demand.

The trade for finished lambs is steady in the main, with a continued differential in prices paid in marts depending on the customer profile.

Where wholesale and butcher buyers remain active, then prices for heavier lambs weighing upwards of 50kg are in the region of €180 to €188/head, with prices for heavier lambs rising to €190-plus and hitting as high as €200 in cases.

Where factory agents are the primary customers, then lambs weighing 50kg to 53kg are averaging from €178 to €184/head.

The store lamb trade has recorded another slight improvement in average prices in hill areas. Some such marts have recorded prices rising by 20c/kg to 30c/kg over the last three weeks on the back of an improvement in grass supplies.

Prices for such lambs are averaging from €3.10/kg to €3.40/kg, with scope to carry weight and current fat cover having a big say on prices paid.

Lowland stores are selling in the main from €3.30/kg to €3.60/kg. There are select lots of well-presented top-quality lowland stores selling to €3.80/kg, with the best demand for lowland lambs being wether over ram lambs. For hill lambs, there is balanced demand for ram and wether lambs.

Culls ewes remain largely subdued. A price of €2/kg to €2.15/kg is buying a high percentage of well-fleshed ewes. Some excellent-quality lots are selling to €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg.

Ewes with a poorer flesh cover are falling back under the €2/kg mark, with ewes lacking significant flesh cover selling back to €1.50/kg and as low as €1/kg for poor-quality hill ewes.