While the lamb trade is somewhat steadier than this time last week, pressure remains on price.

Factory quotes are steadier with quotes for quality assured (QA) lambs in the region of €7.80/kg. Regular sellers and groups are securing €7.85/kg to €7.90/kg but negotiating above this range is proving challenging.

A couple of plants that tried to pull prices below this level found it difficult to get numbers and as a result increased prices by 5c/kg to 10c/kg to compete with plants paying the going rate.

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The mart trade has been described as subdued by a number of mart managers.

Prices for finished lambs weighing upwards of 50kg range in the main from €166 to €172 with better-quality and heavier lambs to €175/ head and odd lots above this range. Agents are coy in their purchasing behaviour, based on actions of recent weeks where prices weakened in the second half of the week.

Ewe trade

The ewe trade is unchanged with quotes varying from €4.50/kg to €4.70/kg at the lower end of the market and rising to €5/kg to €5.20/kg at the higher end of the market.

The mart trade is also unchanged with a price range of €2.25/kg to €2.40/kg accounting for a significant percentage of heavier ewes and hitting €2.50/kg to €2.60/kg for top-quality lots.

Prices for plainer-quality and feeding ewes are in the region of €2/kg to €2.10/kg with ewes lacking significant flesh back to €1.50/kg to €1.60/kg.