The sheep mart trade is steady, with mart managers reporting plenty of life in the trade for quality fleshed lambs.

Competition levels are being helped by tighter supplies and a percentage of heavier lambs presented short of flesh.

As such, there is a wide differential for lambs of a similar weight but varying quality.

Good-quality lambs weighing upwards of 50kg are commanding a premium over factory prices and selling from €138 to €145/head, while poorer-quality lots are selling back to €130 and under on occasion.

Likewise, lambs weighing 47kg to 49kg are trading from the mid-€120s all the way to €140 for quality lots, while lambs weighing 45kg to 46kg are trading from the low-€120s for lambs with a poor kill-out potential to €130 to €135 for top-quality lots.

The trade for store lambs is solid. Good-quality lowland wether and ewe lambs are trading from €2.70/kg to €2.90/kg, with the best-quality lots to in excess of €3/kg.

Plainer-quality lots and lowland ram lambs are trading on average from €2.60/kg to €2.75/kg on average, while crossbred lambs are trading from €2.40/kg to €2.60/kg. The best demand in the hill lamb category is for heavier types.

Nice-quality male lambs weighing 35kg and over are selling from €2/kg to €2.20/kg.

Lighter lots around the 30kg mark are selling in a wider differential from €1.80/kg to €2.10/kg on average.

The poorest demand is for very light lambs weighing less than 25kg, with prices starting around €1.50/kg for lesser-quality lambs and rising to €1.80/kg to €2/kg for the best-quality lots. Ewe lambs with breeding potential range from €2.50/kg to upwards of €3/kg.

The cull ewe trade is easier in places for heavy fleshed ewes. Prices in excess of €150/head are less frequent, but are still being paid for the best-quality large-framed ewes. Such ewes are trading from €1.40/kg to €1.70/kg, with a significant percentage of fleshed ewes ranging from €1.25/kg to €1.45/kg.

Hogget numbers are dwindling, but nice-quality lots are still selling from €175 to €200, with light and plain-quality types back to €150 to €160, with light crossbred types from €125 to €150.