The positivity around the sheep trade continues, with prices at the top end of the market for hoggets hitting €7.00/kg this week.

Not all producers supplying hoggets will be getting €7.00/kg but if we take that figure for argument’s sake, at a 23kg carcass weight, that would represent a price of €161/head.

If we were to compare this to what producers were getting this time last year, those at the top end of the market were securing prices of €6.00-6.10/kg, that would mean that prices are greater by up to €20-21/head at the present time.

Similar positive stories can be seen elsewhere as well. The latest Bord Bia figures show, for the week ending February 20, hogget prices to be €6.50/kg in Northern Ireland – which is €1.17/kg stronger than this time last year.

Britain, France and Spain are also seeing strong prices for hoggets. For the week ending February 20, prices in Britain stood at €7.04/kg, which is up 80c/kg from the same time in 2020.

Prices in France stand at €6.97/kg which again is up a healthy 55c/kg from the corresponding period in 2020.

Meanwhile, Spain is also seeing a lift in prices, with hoggets now at €5.77/kg – up 38c/kg from this time last year.

Current sheepmeat prices and prices for the same time in the previous two years. Data source: Bord Bia