The sheep trade is starting the week on a more positive note in comparison to the previous two weeks, with base prices for lambs/hoggets lifting by as much as 15c/kg.
Cuts in hogget prices of up to 50c/kg had been seen the turn of the year and for the first time in 2023 some positive movement in prices has come about.
Although positive to see movement, many processors have been slow to move off last week’s base prices, with only some rising their base offering. There is also some movement at the higher end of the market of up to 10c/kg.
Some factories have returned back to the table with quotes this week, i.e. Kildare Chilling.
Kildare Chilling is offering a base price of €6.10/kg plus a 10c/kg quality assurance (QA) bonus for hoggets up to 22.5kg for today (Monday, January 23).
Irish Country Meats is the big mover this week, although coming from a low base from last week. It has lifted its base quote for hoggets by 15c/kg to now stand on a base of €5.95/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus up to 23kg.
Reports from other meat processing plants indicate a base price of €5.95/kg up to 22.5kg.
This is leaving prices for QA hoggets at €6.10/kg up to €6.20/kg, with top reported prices secured by producers being from €6.20-6.40/kg, with more deals being done between €6.30/kg and €6.40/kg at the start of this week.
The ewe trade is very much static, with base quotes ranging from €3.00/kg up to €3.10/kg and top prices reaching €3.50/kg in general.