This is a subscriber-only article
IFA sheep chair Seán Dennehy is urging sheep farmers to sell hard when selling hoggets and lambs as prices soar.
Dennehy said hogget prices have hit €8.00/kg as factories struggle to match supplies with market demand.
He said factories are paying €7.70/kg to €8.00/kg for quality-assured hoggets as Ramadan and strong supermarket sales of lamb drive the trade.
Spring lamb
Dennehy said up to €8.50/kg is being paid for spring lamb, while cull ewes are ranging from €3.20/kg to €3.50/kg in general. Last week, spring lamb prices surpassed the €8/kg mark.
He said the strong factory demand is feeding through to the mart sales, where agents and wholesalers are competing strongly for the limited numbers of hoggets, lambs and cull ewes.
Prices are comparable to and in cases above what factories are offering some farmers, the IFA said.
SHARING OPTIONS: