Demand is firm, with agents competing for a declining supply pool of quality hoggets.
Prices are unchanged in the main, with heavier hoggets weighing from 55kg to 60kg-plus ranging in price from €216 to €230 on average.
There are some fancy prices rising to upwards of €240 to €250 for ewe hoggets with breeding potential.
Prices paid for lighter lots are dictated by quality and potential slaughter performance.
Hoggets weighing around the 50kg to 52kg mark range anywhere from the low-€200s for crossbred and plainer-quality types to €215 to €220 for the best-quality lots.
Store hoggets are the most mixed in terms of quality. The best-quality hoggets are selling from €4.10/kg to €4.35/kg, while tail-end lots are selling back to €3.50/kg and as low as €3/kg to €3.20/kg for hoggets that have had their growth badly stunted.
The general run of prices for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 52kg-plus is from €220 to €235, but as high as €240 to €250 has been paid by butchers or wholesalers for small numbers of excellent-quality lambs.
Where factory agents are the main buyers, prices are topping out around the €220 mark and need competition to drive them to this level.
Lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg but capable of killing out at maximum weights are selling in the same territory.
Light lambs weighing from 40kg to 42kg are selling on average from €190 to €204, with some lots of the best-quality fleshed lambs rising to €210.
Cull ewes are steady, with prices averaging from €2.30/kg to €2.70/kg for fleshed ewes, with small numbers higher.
There are very few lowland or crossbred ewes selling back to €2/kg and lower, with Scottish Blackface ewes from €1.50/kg for light carcase ewes to €2/kg for heavier types.
There is more life in the trade for ewes with lambs at foot. Twin-lamb units are trading from €280 to €350 in the main, with young ewes or large-framed ewes with strong lambs rising and exceeding €400 per outfit.
Hill outfits range from €160 for aged ewes to €250. Single lamb lots range from €220 to €300 for young ewes with aged lots under €200.
Demand is firm, with agents competing for a declining supply pool of quality hoggets.
Prices are unchanged in the main, with heavier hoggets weighing from 55kg to 60kg-plus ranging in price from €216 to €230 on average.
There are some fancy prices rising to upwards of €240 to €250 for ewe hoggets with breeding potential.
Prices paid for lighter lots are dictated by quality and potential slaughter performance.
Hoggets weighing around the 50kg to 52kg mark range anywhere from the low-€200s for crossbred and plainer-quality types to €215 to €220 for the best-quality lots.
Store hoggets are the most mixed in terms of quality. The best-quality hoggets are selling from €4.10/kg to €4.35/kg, while tail-end lots are selling back to €3.50/kg and as low as €3/kg to €3.20/kg for hoggets that have had their growth badly stunted.
The general run of prices for heavier lambs weighing 48kg to 52kg-plus is from €220 to €235, but as high as €240 to €250 has been paid by butchers or wholesalers for small numbers of excellent-quality lambs.
Where factory agents are the main buyers, prices are topping out around the €220 mark and need competition to drive them to this level.
Lighter lots weighing 47kg to 49kg but capable of killing out at maximum weights are selling in the same territory.
Light lambs weighing from 40kg to 42kg are selling on average from €190 to €204, with some lots of the best-quality fleshed lambs rising to €210.
Cull ewes are steady, with prices averaging from €2.30/kg to €2.70/kg for fleshed ewes, with small numbers higher.
There are very few lowland or crossbred ewes selling back to €2/kg and lower, with Scottish Blackface ewes from €1.50/kg for light carcase ewes to €2/kg for heavier types.
There is more life in the trade for ewes with lambs at foot. Twin-lamb units are trading from €280 to €350 in the main, with young ewes or large-framed ewes with strong lambs rising and exceeding €400 per outfit.
Hill outfits range from €160 for aged ewes to €250. Single lamb lots range from €220 to €300 for young ewes with aged lots under €200.
SHARING OPTIONS