Sheep trade: Another jump for both lamb and ewe prices

This week’s sheep trade sees prices for both factory lambs and cull ewes increase with 50c/kg added to the top-end of the trade in cases.

As high as €9.00/kg has been tabled in cases this week for lambs with some outlets paying up to 24kg carcass weight for lambs and up to €4.80/kg on offer for ewes at the higher-end of the price scale.

Irish Country Meats (ICM) is quoting €4.40/kg for ewes up to 45kg carcass weight and €8.40/kg plus a 20c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus, leaving €8.60/kg on offer here for lambs up to 23.5kg carcass weight.

Kildare Chilling is quoting €4.20/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for ewes with carcass weights from 35-43kg, leaving €4.30kg on offer here. The same outlet is quoting €8.50/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus leaving €8.60/kg on offer here for lambs up to 23.5kg carcass weight.

Ballon Meats is quoting €4.80/kg for ewes up to 41kg carcass weight and are quoting €8.20/kg for lambs.

Other outlets are quoting €8.35/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus leaving €8.50/kg on offer here for lambs up to 23.5kg carcass weight and €4.30/kg for ewes up to 46kg carcass weight.

The sheep kill numbers have fallen off significantly since week 40 of this year with the lamb kill numbers over 190,000 head or 14% below 2023 levels.

As of Sunday, December 8, the cumulative sheep kill was back 12% or over 335,000 head on 2023 levels.