Sheep trade: Factory demand for lambs remains strong, as quotes rise another 10c/kg

There is movement to report on sheep trade prices this week for lambs, with base quotes rising 10c/kg from the start of the week as the trade remains strong from factories.

Many lambs continue to move at prices of €6.40-6.50/kg, with reports indicating more deals being done this week 5-10c/kg north of this level.

Strong sheep trade

The trade remains strong and this can be seen at marts over the weekend into Monday and Tuesday, where the trade has picked up where it left off from the week before.

With the shorter week, due to the bank holiday, it seems as if some plants are moving to play catch up to an extent in order to secure lambs, with base prices in some plants edging upwards since the start of the week.

Looking at what factories are offering now, Kildare Chilling remains out in front on a base price of €6.40/kg plus a 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) bonus – up 10c/kg from last week.

Irish Country Meats (ICM) is moving to catch up with Kildare Chilling this week it seems, as it also increases its base price for lambs by 10c/kg to now stand at €6.25/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus.

Kepak Athleague continues to hide in the background while others quote and remains off the table with a quote for lambs and ewes. Also, when contacted by Agriland, Dawn Meats, Ballyhaunis didn’t offer a quote either.

As mentioned, the majority of lambs appear to be moving at prices of €6.40-6.50/kg mainly, with some moving at prices back to €6.30-6.35/kg. Prices north of €6.50/kg appear to be more frequent this week compared to last week.

While, as mentioned last week, more joy is being secured with deals for lambs at higher carcass weights.

Quotes for ewes remain unchanged, with factories offering between €2.90/kg and €3.00/kg. Reported top prices continue to hit as high as €3.30/kg.