This week’s sheep trade is starting off on a similar note to last week: Steady, with no major price changes to report.
While 5-10c/kg more is being secured at the top end of the market coming into this week, prices are, as mentioned, mostly steady.
In the past two weeks the trade has held and firmed up, and is in a much more positive place.
Base prices remain the same as last week, with factories quoting €6.30-6.40/kg for lambs.
Prices for quality assured lambs are ranging from €6.40-6.50/kg, with deals at the top end of the market ranging mainly from €6.50-6.60/kg and up as far as €6.70/kg.
Factories are officially paying up to 21kg but reports indicate deals in some plants are being secured up to 21.5kg.
The ewe trade remains unchanged too; factories are quoting €3.30-3.40/kg for ewes, with top deals ranging from €3.60-3.80/kg in general.
‘Weigh up your options’
Sean McNamara has advised farmers to weigh up their options with their lambs, saying that fleshed lambs at the mart are making the equivalent of €7.00/kg and more in cases.
The sheep chair of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association told Agriland: “Factory prices are moving forward slowly and if supplies remain tight, like they are, the hope would be that prices would continue moving forward.
“With grass quality on the decline and kill outs falling back to 40%, I’d be advising farmer to weigh up their options carefully and if they are in doubt about their lambs killing out to the desired weight, than to look at the mart to market lambs instead.”