This week saw little change to the sheep trade, with some mart managers reporting bigger sales this week on the back of the improved trade.

The factory lamb trade remains the same, with prices of between €175 and €185 paid by agents across the country.

The highlight still remains where butcher and wholesale buyers are active. They’re dominating the trade for heavier well-fleshed lambs weighing over 50kg.

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These lambs are crossing the €190 mark and where lambs weigh over 55kg, they are even crossing €200/head, with top prices of €220/head being paid in the southeast of the country.

Similar to the lamb trade, the top-quality heavier cull ewes are attracting a premium, with up to €300/head being paid across the country for well-fleshed ewes weighing over 100kg.

Trade is very varied, depending on types of ewes presented for sale.

Fleshed-type ewes are making from €2.50/kg to €3/kg, with more store-type lowland ewes selling from €2/kg to €2.20/kg.

Hill-cross ewes are very varied, with poorly fleshed aged ewes selling back as low as €1.20/kg, with between €1.60 and €1.90 the general trade for ewes in good condition.

The store lamb trade remains mostly unchanged, with a noted increase in buyers for lambs the last 10 days across the country.

Lowland lambs are selling for between €3.60/kg and €3.90/kg, with isolated lots of quality lambs making over €4/kg. There was also a noted increase in activity for breeding-type ewe lambs, with the tops of these achieving €4/kg.

Steady trade

The numbers of hill-cross and horned stores remains steady, with trade remaining unchanged.

Quality lots of ewe lambs are making over €3.50/kg, while the bulk of lambs bought for further feeding are selling for between €3/kg and €3.30/kg.

There was a small increase in activity for ewe hoggets, with quality lots crossing the €300/head mark. The majority of mid-weight hoggets are being bought for between €230 and €280 per head, with lighter-framed hoggets selling back around the €200/head mark.