Sheep price update: factories move to take heat out of trade

Factories have this week moved to try to regain some control of the sheep trade.

Agents in some plants were instructed over the weekend to cool their interest in lambs and refrain from entering into bidding wars.

Base quotes were largely unchanged, but quotes on Monday have been pulled by 10c/kg to 20c/kg, leaving opening quotes in some plants in the region of €8.90/kg to €9/kg.

Agents are still keen for lambs, with group lambs and lambs traded by sellers with significant numbers or greater negotiating power moving anywhere from €9.15/kg to €9.25/kg.

There is still deals at the top end of the market reported at €9.30/kg and €9.40/kg, with higher prices harder to negotiate.

Some agents comment that factories remain keen for lambs, with Monday’s pressure designed to try to steady the trade.

There are reports of some plants reducing kill days, but numbers being processed in recent weeks could easily be handled in a shorter working week, so this is not likely to be a major factor.

Mart trade

Some mart managers report agents being more coy in their purchasing activity, but still keen not to let any sheep home from sales unsold.

Others such as Kilkenny reported an unchanged trade, with top prices for hoggets weighing 52kg to 55kg ranging from €210 to €225.

Some heavier lambs weighing as high as 68kg to 71kg hit top prices of €235 to €242 per head.

Ennis Mart in Co Clare reported a higher number of lambs with a lower flesh cover, which was reflected in prices achieved. However, demand remained robust for quality lambs, with some top-quality lambs weighing 52kg to 54kg selling from €216 to a top of €231 for lambs weighing 53.5kg.

Ewes solid

While lamb quotes have been reduced slightly, cull ewe quotes remain firm and range from €4.70/kg to €5/kg.

Many factories are now operating a dual pricing policy, with ewes less than 20kg to 25kg quoted at a lower price of €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, with underfleshed ewes facing deductions of upwards of €1/kg further for ewes lacking significant flesh.

Ewes remain a solid trade in marts, with heavy fleshed ewes ranging in price from €2.40/kg to €2.80/kg.