The start of the sheep trade in 2024 may be welcomed by Irish sheep farmers, as factories have raised their quotes for spring lamb by up to 10c/kg.
The new year has seen a moderate lift in prices in the spring lamb trade, while quotes for cull ewes have remained unchanged.
This week (beginning Monday, January 1), base prices for spring lambs are at €6.45/kg up to €6.60/kg, while quality assured (QA) lambs will fetch prices from €6.65/kg to €6.70/kg.
Base quotes 12 months ago stood at €6.30/kg up to €6.40/kg, with QA lambs moving at €6.40/kg up to €6.50/kg.
Spring lamb prices
Kildare Chilling has raised its offering for lambs by 10c/kg at the start of this week in the sheep trade and provided a quote for farmers today (Tuesday, January 2) only, of €6.60/kg, plus a 10c QA bonus up to 22kg for spring lambs, a total of €6.70/kg.
They are offering €5.00/kg for light lambs under 16kg, or those that are grading from an O2 to P1.
Irish Country Meats (ICM) has also raised its prices for spring lambs this week by 10c/kg, as farmers will receive €6.45/kg plus a 20c QA bonus, bringing its offering to €6.65/kg up to a 23kg carcass weight.
Other outlets have offered a price of €6.50/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus, a total of €6.65/kg.
Cull ewe prices
Cull ewe prices remain unchanged from Kildare Chilling which has maintained its quotes for cull ewes, while the price differed depending on the weight of the ewe.
In its quotes for Tuesday only, the outlet offered €2.60/kg plus a 10c QA bonus for ewes from 23kg to 35kg.
For ewes between 35kg to 43kg, Kildare Chilling offered farmers €2.90/kg plus a 10c QA bonus, a total of €3.00/kg for a better type ewe.
Ewes under 23kg will fetch a price of €2.00/kg from Kildare Chilling.
ICM is offering €2.60/kg for a ewe up to a 45kg carcass weight, the price remaining the same as last week, while other outlets are also offering €2.60/kg for a cull ewe.