With base prices being largely maintained by factories this week, the mart trade is in a stable position, with prices on par to the last two weeks.

Agents remain coy in their purchases and continue to target lambs with good flesh as the season progresses amid reports of some low kill-outs in grass-finished lambs and mart managers reporting poorly fleshed lambs hitting sales.

The general run of prices for finished lambs weighing upwards of 50kg is in the region of €164 to €172/head.

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There are some lots exceeding this range and rising to €175/head and higher, though this is rare and mostly witnessed where butchers are active or ewe lambs with breeding potential are present.

Lacking flesh

Lambs in the mid-40kg bracket with flesh are selling equally as high as those in the low-50kg bracket which are lacking flesh.

On a price-per-kilo basis, the majority of finished lambs are being purchased between €3.45/kg and €3.70/kg.

Store lambs are also on par with other weeks, with non-traditional buyers who are opting for lambs as opposed to cattle still reportedly active around rings.

Lowland store lambs weighing from 37kg to 40kg and upwards are trading on average from €3.60/kg to €3.80/kg in the main, again with short-keep types with good conformation hitting €4/kg on occasion.

Lighter lambs back

The price per kilo paid for lighter lambs is back slightly by 10c/kg, with better-quality lambs falling within a price range of €3.60/kg to €3.80/kg.

Good-quality ewe lambs with breeding potential remain a firm trade, with €4/kg to €4.50/kg being paid on occasion at some ordinary mart sales.

Cull ewes

Cull ewes are trading at similar prices to the last few weeks.

Prices of €2.00/kg to €2.20/kg are being seen for the majority of quality lowland culls, both fleshed and store types.

Thinner lowland ewes are selling in the mid-€1.00/kg bracket, with well-framed and fleshed hill ewes trading close to this.