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Price deals for fat lambs are up 10p to 20p/kg, as local factories struggle to keep pace with a vibrant mart trade.
Live exporters are extremely active in marts across NI, bidding on heavier lambs to ship to processing plants in Britain, where deadweight prices are in the region of 660p/kg. Lambs weighing 23kg to 26kg have consistently returned prices from £135 to £150 over the past week, with some isolated lots making closer to £160.
Quotes at local factories are up 10p to 20p/kg, with 590p and 600p/kg on offer, but deals of 610p and 620p/kg are freely available as agents look to compete. However, factories are still struggling to secure numbers at these prices and as a further incentive, there are sporadic reports of some deals being paid to a 22kg weight limit for farmers handling large numbers.
Beef
Quotes for prime cattle are unchanged at 460p/kg for U-3-grading animals. However, supplies are tight and with cattle agents chasing numbers, 484p and 486p/kg is freely available for in-spec animals with 2p to 4p/kg more on offer for regular finishers.
Cows continue to move around 390p to 400p/kg for young suckler types, easing back to 370p/kg for lower conformation animals.
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