Prices in the sheep trade have remained steady since last week, as there were no major changes in the quotes provided from processors.
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) sheep chair, Sean McNamara said that while prices had “steadied”, farmers are still finding it difficult to finish their lambs due to recent weather conditions, and the expense of feeding the lambs meal.
Factory quotes this week were similar to last week, with the exception of a 10c/kg reduction in price for a cull ewe from Irish Country Meats (ICM), while Kildare Chilling has continued to not offer a quote for sheep.
Commenting on the 10c/kg reduction in price for a cull ewe from ICM, McNamara said the processors can continue to “drop away” as sheep are “worth a lot more in the marts”.
“People are coming out with a lot more money out of the mart than they’re coming out of the factories.
“If you’ve a good heavy lamb he’d be worth a lot more in the mart.”
Sheep trade – spring lamb
Kildare Chilling has not provided a quote for spring lambs since July, continuing this trend this week, as there is no factory quote on offer from the outlet.
This week, ICM is offering €6.00/kg plus a 20c quality assurance (QA) bonus, bringing its offering to €6.20/kg up to a 22kg carcass weight for a spring lamb – the same price as last week.
Other outlets have offered €6.05/kg plus a QA bonus of 15c/kg, a total of €6.20/kg for a spring lamb.
Cull ewes
Kildare Chilling has not offered a quote for cull ewes this week, while other outlets have offered €2.70/kg for a cull ewe.
ICM has dropped its price for a cull ewe by 10c/kg this week, as it is now offering €2.80/kg up to 45kg carcass weight.
Hoggets
ICM is quoting €4.80/kg plus a QA bonus of 20c up to 23kg for hoggets this week, a total of €5.00/kg, the same price on offer as last week.
Kildare Chilling has not quoted for hoggets this week.