After several weeks of price and carcase weight limit reductions, this week's sheep trade has seen prices increase by up to 10c/kg.

While the official factory quotes for this week show up to €8.80/kg has been tabled for hoggets, conversations with agents and farmers suggest up to €9.00/kg is being paid by some outlets to suppliers with larger numbers of hoggets for this week.

This week, Irish Country Meats (ICM) is quoting €5.00/kg for cull ewes and €8.60/kg plus a 20c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus for hoggets leaving €8.80/kg on offer for hoggets here. This outlet is paying up to 23kg carcase weight and its price is up 10c/kg from last week.

Kildare Chilling is quoting €5.20/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for cull ewes leaving €5.30/kg on offer here for '"better type" cull ewes, according to the outlet. Kildare Chilling has no official quote for hoggets this week.

Kepak is quoting €5.00-5.10/kg for cull ewes this week and has no official quote for hoggets.

Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow is quoting €5.50/kg for cull ewes and €8.60/kg for hoggets.

After a week off due to St. Patrick’s day, the sheep sale resumed in Athenry Mart, Co. Galway, today (Monday, March 24) with hoggets in the 40-45kg weight bracket rising by 20c/kg.

Hoggets in this category sold for an average of €3.88/kg, compared to €3.69/kg two weeks ago. In March 2024, the price for these lambs stood at €3.59/kg, according to mart management.

The sale featured almost 320 hoggets across 42 lots with the first spring lambs of 2025 were presented. Two spring lambs weighing 44kg each sold for €214/head or €4.86kg.

Hoggets in the heavier weight brackets also seen a slight price boost with lots in the 45-50kg category selling for an average of €3.93/kg up to a maximum of €4.57/kg.

The top price in this weight range was secured by a pen of 46kg ewe lambs, with the hammer falling at €210/head.

Hoggets in excess of 50kg sold for an average of €3.76/kg, up to of €4.15/kg for a pen of 54kg hoggets which sold for €224.

Sample lamb/hogget prices:

44kg sold for €214 or €4.86/kg;
41.5kg sold for €170 or €4.10/kg;
43kg sold for €166 or €3.86/kg;
46kg sold for €210 or €4.57/kg;
49kg sold for €190 or €3.88/kg;
45kg sold for €185 or €4.11/kg;
63kg sold for €235 or €3.73/kg;
57kg sold for €233 or €4.04/kg;
54kg sold for €224, €4.15/kg;
57kg sold for €216, €3.79/kg;
55kg sold for €215 or €3.91/kg.

There were 180 cull ewes on offer in Athenry with a 99% clearance rate and the average price/kg up by 15c/kg.

The top price secured on the day was €300 for a lot weighing 101kg, which equates to €2.97/kg.

Comparing prices to March 2024, the average cull ewe price stands 63c/kg higher this week compared to 12 months ago.

A pen of cull ewes with an average weight of 96kg sold for €289/head or €3.01/kg with a pen of cull ewes with an average weight of 74kg making €178/head or €2.41/kg.