Sheep mart watch: trade sees another week of stability

This week saw the sheep trade once again remain stable, with little change across the country. The breeding sheep trade has slowed down due to reduced numbers offered.

The cull ewe trade remains red hot for well-fleshed heavy lowland ewes. Prices north of €2.50/kg are still being paid for ewes weighing from upwards of 80kg, while €300/head has been got in a number of marts this week.

With smaller numbers of well-fleshed ewes being sold it’s helping to keep buyers fighting it out to secure ewes.

Lighter lowland-type store cull ewes carrying some flesh cover are selling from €2/kg to €2.40/kg depending on age and quality, with ewes lacking any flesh cover struggling to cross the €2/kg mark.

There remains a big variation in the trade for mountain-cross cull ewes, with poor-quality aged ewes with no flesh selling from €1.20/kg to €1.30/kg, with over €1.50/kg being paid for young horned ewes carrying flesh.

Some marts reported a slight easing on prices for the heavy butcher-type lambs. Where factory agents remain active, prices remain stable for lambs weighing from 45kg to 50kg.

These factory lambs are selling from €160 to €180, depending on weight.

Marts where butchers and wholesalers are buying the heavier lambs are still crossing the €200/head mark, with prices of up to €210/head being paid for lambs weighing over 55kg. Wholesalers and butchers continue to surpass what factory agents are fit to give by up to €20/head in some marts.

Store lambs numbers are stable, as buyer activity is also matching up with the trade holding firm. Lambs weighing around 40kg are fit to make from €3.60/kg upwards, with over €4/kg paid for well-made lowland sheep.

Lighter lowland sheep weighing from 32kg upwards can also cross the €4/kg mark, especially for batches of ewe lambs.

Horned-cross store lambs have a bigger difference in trade, with better-quality sheep crossing the €3.50/kg mark, while averages of €3.20/kg to €3.30/kg are buying the bulk of these stores, while some poorer quality lambs are selling from €3/kg and under it.