The two Irish Country Meats (ICM) plants in Camolin and Navan have reduced their base quotes for Thursday by 10c/kg to €7.70/kg plus the plants’ 20c/kg quality assurance (20c/kg) payment.

Dawn Meats has maintained its base quote at €7.80/kg plus its 20c/kg QA payment, while Ballon Meats is also quoting €8/kg all-in.

Reports midweek pointed to a slightly more positive trade, with some factory agents actively looking to source lambs.

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Some mart sales also had a brighter tone to the trade, with demand firmer on the back of relatively tight supplies of well-fleshed lambs.

The latest pull in quotes will reduce prices paid to producer groups who are working on the average of quoted prices by 5c/kg to 7c/kg.

Many groups will now be securing in the region of €8.05/kg for lambs, or slightly less, with top prices 10c/kg higher.

Base quotes are now on a par with 2025 prices for both lambs and ewes.

Throughput in factories continues to run ahead of 2025 levels, with last week’s kill of 47,003 head up about 150 sheep on the previous week and running 5,142 head above the corresponding week in 2025.

The lamb kill is running 1,811 head higher, while the ewe and ram kill is 3,418 head higher.

As explained in recent weeks, this is stemming partly from a change in the reporting process, with ewes and rams slaughtered in some abattoirs changed with figures now included in Department of Agriculture weekly sheep kill figures, as opposed to being monitored by local authorities.

This is partly behind the yearly kill figure running 62,167 head higher for the year to date.

This is balancing out the hogget kill figure running 60,329 head lower and the lamb kill running 6,138 lower than in 2025.

While on the ewe trade, prices remain under pressure. The ewe quote in ICM has dropped by another 30c/kg to €4.50/kg, while Dawn Meats ewe quote is down 30c/kg to €4.70/kg. Ballon Meats’ quote of €5.30/kg is unchanged.

It is important to establish prices paid for light carcase ewes, those lacking flesh and rams before sending for slaughter.

Northern Ireland

Base quotes in factories in Northern Ireland are unchanged for Thursday.

ABP Linden’s quote of £6.70/kg (€7.85/kg) is 10p/kg higher than Dunbia’s.

Regular sellers supplying significant numbers continue to secure 10p/kg to 15p/kg above the going rate.

Last week’s sheep kill reduced by about 300 head to 8,702. The number of sheep exported to Ireland for direct slaughter increased by 669 head to 2,449.

Meanwhile, the number of sheep exported to Britain for direct slaughter was steady at 2,123. There is no weekly figures published for exports to farms or marts, with the latest figures showing 10,600 sheep exported throughout July.

British lamb prices are steady at 720p/kg (843c/kg), with throughput stable.