This is a subscriber-only article
The sheep trade has rebounded after processors moved to cut prices last week.
Base quotes have increased by 15p to 565p/kg, but farmers report 570p/kg is on offer as a starting price.
Deals are available beyond this level, with regular sellers achieving 575p to 580p/kg.
At the top end of the market, reports suggest 585p/kg has been paid to farmers with big numbers of slaughter-fit lambs.
Competition
After a slight lull in buying activity, agents sourcing lambs for southern Irish processors are again driving competition in NI marts, raising prices by £2 to £3 per head.
Irish processors also cut lamb prices last week but this only resulted in tightening supplies. As such, factories raised lamb prices by 20c to 30c/kg, with €7.20 to €7.40/kg paid this week. This converts to 580p to 596p/kg.
Cattle
There are also positive signs within the beef trade this week as farmers report an extra 2p/kg being paid on prime cattle as numbers start to tighten.
Steers are moving from 402p/kg up to 410/kg for larger finishers, while there are reports that 410p/kg is more widely available for heifers when compared to previous weeks.
SHARING OPTIONS: