Factories have moved to try to reduce lamb prices, with base quotes for Tuesday falling by 10c/kg.

The two Irish Country Meats plants in Camolin and Navan have reduced their base quote by 10c/kg to a base of €7.50/kg plus their 20c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment.

Kildare Chilling has also reduced its base quote by 10c/kg and is quoting €7.60/kg plus its 10c/kg QA payment.

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The pull in price will leave producer groups trading in the region of €7.80/kg to €7.90/kg, depending on their payment agreement.

There are contrasting reports from sellers doing the rounds in recent days.

Some point to producers and sellers handling large numbers securing returns of €7.90/kg to €8/kg, while other sellers with lower negotiating power and selling on an infrequent basis are facing price pressure of 5c/kg to 10c/kg and trading in the region of €7.80/kg.

There is no movement on weight limits, despite some upward pressure, with plants holding tough in their stance at 22kg carcase weight. Reports indicate that numbers continue to trend in the region of 25% lower than the corresponding period in 2024, with factories exhibiting a much lower appetite for sheep.

Live trade

The pressure on price wasn’t readily evident in mart sales held on Monday.

The sale report from Ennis Mart on Monday pointed to tight numbers and heavier lambs improving in price by up to €5/head.

This was driven in part by better-quality sheep on offer, with prices reported to range in the main from €170 to €175 for heavier types and rising to upwards of €185 for lambs weighing 56.5kg.

Kilkenny Mart described the trade as decent for all sheep early in the sale, but noted that lambs weighing in excess of 50kg tended to be cheaper as the sale progressed.

This was not helped by a higher number of lambs in this category and, in contrast, ewe and wether lambs weighing from 44kg to 47kg were reported as an excellent trade.

Prices reported for lambs weighing from 54kg to 59kg ranged from €182 to €190, with a standout price of €198 paid for a batch of 15 lambs weighing 54kg.

Lambs weighing from 46kg to 50kg sold from €175 to €178 for the best-quality lots and back to €158 to €160 on average for lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg.

The trade in Athenry Mart in Galway was steady. Lambs weighing from 50kg to 54kg sold in the main from €170 to €175, with select lots of heavier lambs rising to €180/head.