Monday’s sheep sale in Athenry can be best described as a mixed trade. Butcher-type lambs started the sale brightly with top-quality lots selling from €52 to €54 over the weight with a few pens of excellent quality lambs weighing 54kg to 55kg topping the sale for slaughter-fit lambs and selling for €110 to €111. They were only bettered by keen competition from two-farmer buyers for a pen of top-quality, evenly matched Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 49kg and selling for €118.

An easing factory prices and plants relying less on agents and dealers purchasing lambs from sales over the last week left these buyers with less purchasing power. This was evident for lambs falling between the factory trade and butcher trade with the ballpark price for these lots being €50 over the weight. Lighter lambs weighing 47kg to 48kg in cases attracted more competition with some feeders having one eye on demand after the Christmas break and taking a gamble on these lambs. With competition from factory agents, they sold well in comparison with heavier lambs, generally commanding a price of €49 to €50 over with a few pens of tight-wooled, well conformed lambs selling to €52/€53 over the weight.

Lighter store lambs weighing 44kg o 45kg sold from €43 over the weight for those requiring significant feeding to €48 over the weight for lots carrying a good cover of flesh.

See pictures in the carousel above to get a flavour of the trade.

Factory trade

General prices paid today have eased 5c/kg with lambs trading from €4.70/kg to €4.75/kg. There are still small numbers sold last week, but moving this week trading for €4.80/kg, while some plants have quoted sellers with non-quality assured lambs €4.65/kg later in the week. A number of sellers have commented that lamb supplies in the east of the country are not as strong as in the west but that factories are using specialist finishers and northern lambs to meet demand.

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