Little to no change has been recorded in mart sales this week for either finished or store lambs, with numbers and prices generally on par. The wetter weather has not caused a major flush in numbers.

Good quality, well finished lambs weighing from 49kg to 53kg are selling close to €170/head mark in many sales, with prices starting at €165 for some plainer-quality types and rising to €175 where interest is present from butcher/wholesale buyers.

Some marts again this week saw top prices in the low €190s paid for top end lambs in the 53-55kg bracket, though this is rare in other marts, with €3.40/kg generally being the price paid up to a maximum of €175/head.

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Even, well-marked ewe lambs with breeding potential are crossing the €180/head barrier up to €200/head, though numbers and quality is starting to dwindle at this stage in the year.

Prices for lighter factory lambs weighing 45kg to 48kg selling anywhere from the low €150s for poorly fleshed lots or those with hill genetics to upwards of €170 for top-quality lots with good slaughter potential.

The store lamb trade is steady, with a high percentage of lambs weighing from 35kg to 44kg trading from €3.50/kg to €3.80/kg, or in simple terms €100-€110/head with their weight.

Select lots, including ewe lambs with breeding potential as hoggets, are rising to €4/kg and higher.

Breeding sales among hill groups continue their recent strong trend. Mayo/Connemara hoggets are averaging around €220/head, while €240-€290 is being paid for good quality and prize winning lots at specialist sales. Ewe lambs of the same breed are selling in the €115-€130 bracket on average.

The cull ewe trade is holding relatively firm. Keen demand for feeding ewes is helping to keep a floor under the trade, with good-quality feeding ewes selling from €1.70/kg to €2.10/kg while fleshed lowland ewes are selling in the main from €1.90/kg to €2.30/kg.

This reduces to €1.20/kg to €1.60/kg for hill ewes and back to €1/kg for light ewes lacking significant flesh cover.