There has been no change in the sheep trade over the weekend, with factory quotes unchanged and ranging from a base of €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, plus the respective quality assurance bonuses.

Individual sellers with no additional bargaining power are securing returns ranging from €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, depending on the part of the country they are trading.

Producers handling higher numbers and those selling through producer groups are achieving returns ranging in the main from €6.55/kg to €6.65/kg, with some prices hitting €6.70/kg or slightly higher by means of conformation bonuses.

Factories are keen for lambs, but are reluctant to budge on price in negotiations. Their appetite is also evident in the keen appetite displayed by factory agents in mart sales.

Butcher buyers have also been active in recent days to get supplies organised ahead of the busy pre-Christmas period for processing turkey and ham orders.

Butcher buying

Reporting on Monday’s mart trade, Kilkenny auctioneer George Candler said demand for lambs was underpinned by lower numbers and a firm appetite from butcher buyers and factory agents.

Top-quality butcher-type lambs weighing upwards of 50kg exceeded the €150 mark, with lambs weighing in the mid-50kg to 60kg weight bracket selling from €153 to €158, with top prices exceeding €160 for a couple of lots of heavy lambs weighing 57kg to 60kg.

Lighter lambs and lesser-quality lots weighing 48kg to 50kg sold back to the low-€140s.

Clare Marts manager Martin McNamara reported a good entry of just shy of 600 sheep despite challenging weather conditions.

He reported that the trade for slaughter-fit sheep was very similar to last week, with the hammer falling at a top of €166 or a price of €3.13/kg for top-quality wether lambs weighing 53kg.

Two lots of lambs weighing 58kg and 61kg sold for €165, while a pen of top-quality lambs weighing 51.5kg sold for €160.

Another couple of lots sold from €156 to €158/head, with the general run of prices for factory lambs weighing from 48kg to 52kg ranging from €144 to €150. Lambs weighing 44kg to 47kg sold from €130 to €137/head on average.