There is no change to report from quotes provided by sheep processing factories on the last day of October, as the prices have remained the same as last week for spring lambs and cull ewes.
Base prices this week for spring lambs are firmly ahead of those from a year ago, which stood at €6.00/kg.
This week, base prices range from €6.10/kg to €6.30/kg, excluding quality assurance (QA) bonuses.
Weight limits still vary between some factories, with some paying up to 22.5kg while others are holding at 22kg.
With Storm Ciarán set to make already poor ground conditions worse this week, it will result in soiled fleeces and dirtier lambs, especially in areas around feeders or for those grazing crops.
To avoid lambs being cut in price or possibly even not being taken by the factory as the year progresses, measures will need to be taken to ensure sheep are presented clean for slaughter.
Spring lambs
Kildare Chilling has offered farmers a quote for today only (October 31), which will pay farmers €6.30/kg plus a 10c QA bonus up to 22kg for spring lambs.
They are offering €5.00/kg for light lambs under 16kg.
This week, Irish Country Meats (ICM) is offering €6.10/kg plus a 20c QA bonus, bringing its offering to €6.30/kg up to a 22.5kg carcass weight for spring lamb
Other outlets are offering €6.15/kg plus a 15c QA bonus, a total of €6.30/kg for a QA spring lamb.
Cull ewes
Kildare Chilling has offered farmers a quote for today only for cull ewes, the price differing depending on the weight of the ewe.
The outlet is offering €2.60/kg plus a 10c QA bonus for ewes from 23kg to 35kg.
For ewes between 35kg to 43kg, Kildare Chilling is offering farmers €2.90/kg plus a 10c QA bonus, a total of €3.00/kg for a better type ewe.
Ewes under 23kg will fetch a price of €2.00/kg from Kildare Chilling today.
ICM is offering €2.60/kg for a ewe up to a 45kg carcass weight, the price remaining the same as last week, while other outlets have offered €2.50/kg for a ewe.