Finished lambs were a flying trade across marts last week, with lambs over 50kg regularly selling in excess of €120/head.

Mart managers were quick to note the strong trade for these types, with top prices of €124-126/head being reported at many marts over the past week.

In general, lambs weighing in excess of 49kg sold from €115/head up to €126/head, with select lots making back to €111/head.

Also Read: Added bite for finished lambs at online sales throughout the week

Factory-fit lambs, over the past week, have been trading from €100/head up to €114/head, with again select lots selling above and below this range.

There has been fierce competition among factory agents for lambs over the past week, with (finished lamb) supplies in many marts tight.

Also, marts which have only recently gone down the route of selling online have noticed extra competition among buyers, with many believing buyers who might not have been able to go to marts physically before are now getting involved online and ramping up the competition for lambs.

Store lambs were also a good trade over the past week, with forward-type store lambs continuing to trade for as high €95-99/head, with slightly lighter lambs (35-37kg) making from €86/head up to €92/head.

Nicely-presented lambs weighing 30-35kg continue to make from €80-90/head, with ewe lambs, in particular, pushing towards the €87-90/head mark.

Lastly, lambs weighing anywhere from 20kg up to 30kg have generally been selling from as low as €50/head up to €70/head over the past week, with many of these mountain-bred lambs.

In terms of ewes, heavy, well-fleshed ewes continue to make up to €125/head, with select lots making up to €127-130/head.

Dowra Mart

A good entry of 1,400 sheep were reported at Dowra Mart’s weekly sheep sale on Friday last (November 6).

According to the mart’s manager, Terry McGovern, there was a very strong trade on the day, especially for factory lambs.

Lambs topped out at €120.50/head, with prices for factory and butcher lambs ranging from €100/head up to €120.50/head.

Terry noted that store lambs sold from €80/head up to a tops of €97/head for lambs weighing 41kg. Lighter stores traded from €60/head up to €90/head.

Heavy cull ewes made from €80/head up to a tops of €115/head, while feeding ewes made from €50/head up to €80/head.

Sample factory and butcher lamb prices: 

  • 16 lambs weighing 54kg sold for €120.50/head;
  • Eight lambs weighing 50kg sold for €120/head;
  • 12 lambs weighing 48.5kg sold for €120/head;
  • 23 lambs weighing 53kg sold for €119.50/head;
  • 20 lambs weighing 47kg sold for €114/head;
  • 15 lambs weighing 45kg sold for €108.50/head;
  • 12 lambs weighing 43kg sold for €106/head;
  • 17 lambs weighing 42kg sold for €100/head.

Sample store lamb prices: 

  • 12 lambs weighing 39.5kg sold for €94.50/head;
  • 11 lambs weighing 39kg sold for €94/head;
  • Six lambs weighing 35kg sold for €88/head;
  • 14 lambs weighing 34kg sold for €86/head;
  • 17 lambs weighing 30kg sold for €80/head;
  • 22 lambs weighing 32kg sold for €77/head;
  • 27 lambs weighing 31.5kg sold for €68/head;
  • 14 lambs weighing 25.5kg sold for €62.50/head.

Loughrea Mart

Butcher lambs presented for sale at Loughrea Mart on Thursday (November 5) were met with a flying trade, with prices reaching €124/head.

Lambs weighing 49kg and above were a great trade, with prices for these lots ranging from €111/head up to €124/head.

Moreover, lambs weighing 52kg and above regularly sold for in excess of €120/head. 49-51kg lambs generally made from €115/head up to €119/head.

Factory-fit lambs weighing 42-48kg were also a strong trade on the day, with prices varying from €104/head up to €114/head.

Prices for stores weighing anywhere from 35kg up to 41kg ranged from €86/head up to €101/head.

Feeding ewes sold from €64/head up to €96/head – for more forward-feeding types. Heavy ewes traded from €107/head up to a tops of €120/head.

Sample factory and butcher lamb prices:

  • Seven lambs weighing 51kg sold for €115/head;
  • Eight lambs weighing 56kg sold for €124/head;
  • Four lambs weighing 52.7kg sold for €120/head;
  • Three lambs weighing 56kg sold for €123/head;
  • 11 lambs weighing 52.6kg sold for €120/head;
  • Eight lambs weighing 46.2kg sold for €112/head;
  • 10 lambs weighing 47.3kg sold for €114/head;
  • 24 lambs weighing 44kg sold for €107/head;
  • 11 lambs weighing 46.7kg sold for €108/head.

Sample store lamb prices: 

  • 14 lambs weighing 38.3kg sold for €98/head;
  • 12 lambs weighing 35.6kg sold for €86/head;
  • 10 lambs weighing 37.3kg sold for €91/head;
  • Seven lambs weighing 39kg sold for €101/head;
  • Four lambs weighing 37.7kg sold for €93/head;
  • Two lambs weighing 38kg sold for €88/head.