Spring lamb base quotes of €7.40/kg to €7.50/kg for Thursday have increased by 30c/kg to 50c/kg on last week.

The opening quotes of the season last week were in the region of €7/kg. They were offered against a background of factories prioritising hogget throughput and few numbers of spring lambs in the market.

Factories have now upped the ante as they continue to try and fill the void of tight supplies in EU markets and fill Easter spring lamb orders.

Top prices are reported to be in the region of €7.60/kg to €7.80/kg after bonus payments or allowances on transport. This leaves the top farmgate price of a spring lamb delivering a 19kg to 20kg carcase ranging from €146 to €155. Base quotes are running 90c/kg on average above the corresponding period in 2020 or about €17 higher on a 19kg carcase.

IFA sheep chair Seán Dennehy said: “Strong hogget prices cannot be an excuse from factories for not paying a premium for spring lamb. Hoggets are making €7.50/kg in factories, with mart prices reaching €180/head. Returns for spring lambs must be above these levels.”

The hogget trade continues to excel, with quotes lifting by another 10c/kg and prices running 20c/kg higher in cases.

At a base quote range of €7/kg to €7.30/kg, hogget quotes are running a massive €1.40/kg to €1.60/kg above the corresponding period in 2020. This equates to prices running in the region of €32 to €37 higher.

The mart trade is also on fire, with top-quality fleshed hoggets selling from €168 to €177 on average and select lots exceeding €180 per head.