This week’s sheep trade sees prices for hoggets ease by approximately 10c/kg after a seven-week period where prices increased by approximately €1.40/kg.
Spring lamb price has remained steady at some sites and fallen at others, but €8/kg is still on offer for this season’s lambs.
The significant boost in prices that was experienced over the past few weeks came as a positive surprise to many stakeholders in the sector and injected some much-needed confidence in the trade, which had endured a prolonged period of subdued prices.
Hoggets
Kildare Chilling is quoting €7.20/kg plus a 10c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus, bringing its offering for hoggets to €7.30/kg again this week. This outlet is paying up to 23kg carcass weight.
Irish Country Meats (ICM) is quoting €7.10/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus for hoggets, bringing its offering to €7.40/kg up to 23kg carcass weight. This is back 10c/kg on its quote for last week.
Other outlets are quoting €7.00/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus for hoggets bringing their price offerings to €7.15/kg up to 23kg carcass weight, back 5c/kg from last week.
Spring lamb
For spring lambs, Kildare Chilling is quoting €7.90/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus again this week, bringing its price offering to €8.00/kg up to 20kg carcass weight.
ICM is quoting €7.80/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, bringing its offering up to €8.00/kg for 20.5kg carcass weight, back 10c/kg on last week.
Other outlets are quoting €7.75/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus up to 20.5kg carcass weight, leaving €7.90/kg on the table at these, back 20c/kg from last week.
Cull ewes
Kildare Chilling is quoting €3.40/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus up to 40kg carcass weight leaving €3.50/kg on offer for ewes here.
ICM is quoting €3.30/kg for ewes up to 45kg carcass weight while other outlets are €3.40/kg up to 46kg carcass weight.