The persistent pressure on factory lamb quotes is transferring to mart sales.

Agents are, in many cases, not willing to compete with the same intensity and are preempting further price reductions.

The sales witnessing the greatest pressure are those with a weak butcher or wholesale demand and solely reliant on factory agents.

Prices have fallen anywhere by €7 to upwards of €10 on the week in such sales, with prices steady to €2 to €4 easier on average in sales with keen butcher buying combined with tight supplies.

This witnessed top prices at the start of the week hit €190 to €200, while prices topped at €180 to €185/head in others.

This same variation is evident as the week progresses. In some sales held on Wednesday, top prices for lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg upwards ranged from €170 to €175, with only small numbers of excellent-quality and heavier lots hitting €180/head.

Lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg sold on average from €162 to €168, depending on flesh cover, with the best-quality lots on occasion hitting €170/head.

Plainer-quality types dropped back below €160.

Flesh cover is highly influential in prices paid for lambs weighing 40kg to 42kg, with lambs selling from as low as €125 to €130/head for store-type lambs requiring significant feeding to upwards of €140/head for fleshed types.

Competition for lighter store lambs is also dictated by quality, with a wide differential evident.

Lambs weighing 36kg to 38kg are trading anywhere from €105 to €125, with presentation having a big bearing on prices paid, according to mart managers.

The cull ewe trade is firm, with factory agents active and competing with buyers purchasing top-quality ewes.

A high percentage of fleshed ewes are selling within a price range of €1.80/kg to €2/kg, with a 10c/kg spread either side of this, depending on quality.

Medium-weight plainer-quality ewes are trading from €1.50/kg to €1.70/kg, with light fleshed ewes from €1.20/kg to €1.50/kg and back to €1/kg and under for lighter ewes lacking flesh cover.