The sheep trade is starting the week like it finished the last, unchanged.
Any rise in lamb prices will have to wait it looks until 2023, with factories holding prices to last week’s levels at the start of what will be a short three day processing week for factories.
If prices stay the same to the end of the week, they will be 60-70c/kg off what they were 12 months prior to that, when base quotes were at €6.90-7.10/kg coming into 2022 at that time.
Prices
Looking to the trade at present, Kildare Chilling is holding its base price from last week at €6.40/kg plus a 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) bonus up to 22kg.
Irish Country Meats remains on a base price of €6.30/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus up to 22.5kg.
Meanwhile, reports from other meat processing plants indicate a base price of €6.30/kg.
This is leaving base quotes at €6.30/kg up to €6.40/kg, with QA lambs moving at €6.40/kg up to €6.50/kg.
Prices at the top end of the market are reaching €6.60-6.70/kg, with deals above this also being secured, but to a lesser level.
In many cases, the majority of lambs are moving at prices ranging from €6.40-6.60/kg.
The ewe trade is unchanged however. Base quotes are ranging from €3.00/kg up to €3.20/kg, with up to €3.60-3.70/kg being secured at the top end of the market.