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Factories are exerting price pressure on hoggets and lambs going into the May bank holiday weekend, as fewer animals are required for processing next week.
Some buyers also indicate processors are intent on pulling prices before demand builds ahead of the Eid-Al-Adha festival next month.
Whether the attempts to cut prices stick will depend on numbers coming to market and trends within marts, where the trade is broadly unchanged to date.
Factory quotes for lambs are back 50p/kg to 800p/kg, although 820p/kg is freely available.
However, farmers with bigger numbers indicate 850p/kg to 860p/kg remains on offer to keep pace with the mart trade, although the highs of 880p/kg are less common compared to last week.
Prices in the live ring are steady with £180 to £186 for 22kg to 24kg half-weight, with heavier lambs suited to butcher and wholesale outlets exceeding £190 earlier this week.
Hoggets
Hogget quotes are back 20p/kg to 760p/kg, but 780p/kg is widely available, with isolated reports of 800p/kg for big numbers of good-quality ewe hoggets.
Marts are returning £170 to £180 for lighter, plainer hoggets, rising to above £190 for heavy lots. Hoggets in Britain are trading from a base of 820p/kg, although that is down 30p/kg from last week.
Beef
Prime cattle are holding firm, with prices at 486p/kg for U-3 grading animals.
Cull cows are a sharper trade with R-grading sucklers making 370p/kg, with deals pushing upwards to 400p/kg for younger animals with higher levels of conformation.
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