Entries of lambs in mart sales are running upwards of 20% to 40% below normal for the time of year. Supplies of heavier well-fleshed lambs are particularly tight while store lamb entries are building slowly.
There is significant variation between marts in terms of the top prices paid. Marts which have a very strong butcher / wholesale buyer trade have recorded prices of €165 to €175 for lambs weighing 50kg to 55kg rising to €180 and higher on isolated cases. In other mart sales the top prices recorded have been in the region of €160 to €165 with a handful of lots rising to €170 per head.
It is a similar story with lighter lambs but there is less variation. Factory-type lambs weighing 48kg to 52kg are trading in the main from €155 to €162 with lots lacking flesh selling back to €150 and lower.
While lambs weighing 46kg to 47kg are selling on average from €150 to €160 with young, fleshed lambs capable of achieving a high kill out surpassing the €160 per head mark.
Lambs weighing 44kg to 45kg are averaging from €140 to €150 but lambs with a poor kill out are falling back to the low to mid €130s. Likewise prices paid for lighter lambs weighing from 40kg to 43kg are strongly influenced by flesh cover and potential kill out. Top-quality lambs sold from €136 to €146 with plainer-quality and lots lacking flesh selling back to €128 to €132.
There have been a small number of ewe hoggets appearing in sales. These are being met by relatively firm demand from producers looking to replace cull ewes and maintain their reference figure for the sheep improvement scheme. The general run of nice-quality hoggets are selling from €180 to €200 with heavier top-quality lots rising above €200.
At the opposite end of the weight range lighter hoggets with breeding potential are selling back to €165 to €170 but overall numbers are small.
The cull ewe trade is unchanged. A price range of €1.50/kg to €1.70/kg is buying a lot of medium weight ewes (75kg to 85kg). Select lots of heavy fleshed ewes are trading from €1.60/kg to €1.80/kg and up to €1.90/kg to €2/kg on rare occasion for super-quality lots.
Entries of lambs in mart sales are running upwards of 20% to 40% below normal for the time of year. Supplies of heavier well-fleshed lambs are particularly tight while store lamb entries are building slowly.
There is significant variation between marts in terms of the top prices paid. Marts which have a very strong butcher / wholesale buyer trade have recorded prices of €165 to €175 for lambs weighing 50kg to 55kg rising to €180 and higher on isolated cases. In other mart sales the top prices recorded have been in the region of €160 to €165 with a handful of lots rising to €170 per head.
It is a similar story with lighter lambs but there is less variation. Factory-type lambs weighing 48kg to 52kg are trading in the main from €155 to €162 with lots lacking flesh selling back to €150 and lower.
While lambs weighing 46kg to 47kg are selling on average from €150 to €160 with young, fleshed lambs capable of achieving a high kill out surpassing the €160 per head mark.
Lambs weighing 44kg to 45kg are averaging from €140 to €150 but lambs with a poor kill out are falling back to the low to mid €130s. Likewise prices paid for lighter lambs weighing from 40kg to 43kg are strongly influenced by flesh cover and potential kill out. Top-quality lambs sold from €136 to €146 with plainer-quality and lots lacking flesh selling back to €128 to €132.
There have been a small number of ewe hoggets appearing in sales. These are being met by relatively firm demand from producers looking to replace cull ewes and maintain their reference figure for the sheep improvement scheme. The general run of nice-quality hoggets are selling from €180 to €200 with heavier top-quality lots rising above €200.
At the opposite end of the weight range lighter hoggets with breeding potential are selling back to €165 to €170 but overall numbers are small.
The cull ewe trade is unchanged. A price range of €1.50/kg to €1.70/kg is buying a lot of medium weight ewes (75kg to 85kg). Select lots of heavy fleshed ewes are trading from €1.60/kg to €1.80/kg and up to €1.90/kg to €2/kg on rare occasion for super-quality lots.
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