There has been a positive uplift in factory quotes for this week, with hogget prices up by 25-30c/kg when compared to last week’s factory quotes.
At the start of last week, prices increased by 10c/kg, leaving the general run of hogget prices last week at €6/kg ‘all in’. Ewe price was €3.00-3.30/kg, depending on the outlet.
Prices at the higher end of the market are now at €6.50/kg for hoggets, with deals being secured by some producers, particularly where larger numbers are on hand.
Meanwhile, prices at the higher end of the scale for ewes are ranging from €3.50-3.60/kg.
Kildare Chilling has increased its quote for hoggets to €6.20/kg plus a 10c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus.
Irish Country Meats also moved its hogget price up to a base of €6.05/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, while reports from other plants indicate a base price of €6.05/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus.
Most factories are paying up to a 23kg carcass weight on lambs and 40-45kg carcass weight on ewes, depending on the outlet.
The variation in ewe prices is beginning to increase between outlets as some processers appear to have more jobs for ewes than others. The top quote for ewes this week is €3.30/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus.
Conversations with stakeholders in the ewe trade would suggest deals are being struck at higher prices in some cases where larger numbers of quality ewes are on offer.
In the week ending Sunday, February 25, just over 45,500 hoggets were slaughtered at approved sheep export premises, bringing the cumulative lamb/hogget kill for this year to 368,700, just 1,600 head ahead of last year’s figures.
Just under 5,800 ewes and stock rams were processed in the same week, bringing the cumulative ewe and ram kill to just under 50,300, or 3,700 head ahead of figures from the same time last year.