The fat lamb trade has shown no signs of upward movement, with factories having cut price again this week following cuts earlier in the week of 10c/kg.

This leaves a significant number of well-fleshed lambs weighing from 50kg to 54kg selling in the main from €170 to €175/head, easing by €2-€5/head in some marts across the country, with managers reporting keener demand for lambs killing into carcase weights of 22kg to 23kg.

Marts with wholesale buyers are recording prices as high as €180/head, with little trading above this, while demand from factories for these heavier lambs having waned.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lighter lambs weighing from 47kg to 49kg are trading from the mid-€160s to high-€160s and broaching over €170/head on occasion, with potential slaughter performance dictating prices in this weight range, with lambs with poor fleshing selling back to the low-€160s.

Amid the price decrease again this week, mart managers have continued to report that more farmers are presenting lambs for sale live as opposed to direct for slaughter, with smaller suppliers having less scope to negotiate with factories.

Stores hold

Despite the cut in finished lamb prices in factories, store lamb prices have held firm.

Top-quality well-presented stores with a good cover of flesh are trading from €3.50/kg to €3.80/kg.

Plainer-quality types and good-quality Scottish Blackface lambs are trading from €3.20/kg to €3.40/kg, with some poor-quality or tail-end lambs selling back to €3/kg and under.

Cull ewes are similar to stores, having held firm in price this week, with more ewes being presented for sale having scanned barren.

Well-fleshed ewes are selling from €2/kg to €2.20/kg on average, with some better-quality lots rising to €2.30/kg.

Ewes with an average cover of flesh and heavier Scottish Blackface ewes are selling from €1.70/kg to €2/kg, with ewes lacking significant flesh cover selling back to €1.20/kg to €1.50/kg, while very poor-quality ewes are selling back to €1/kg and under in small numbers.