There is a brighter tone to the mart trade in recent days. Mart managers report that a steadier deadweight trade and tight supplies of well-fleshed lambs is generating a greater appetite and more competition between factory agents.

Prices have steadied and in some cases firmed on last week, but a notable feature is a greater differential between well-fleshed lambs and lambs lacking significant flesh cover.

Fleshed lambs weighing upwards of 50kg are selling from €155 to €165 on average, with a selection of superior-quality lots topping the €170 mark where butcher buyers are very active.

At the other end of the quality spectrum, lambs lacking flesh are selling back to €150 and under.

It is a similar story for lambs weighing 47kg to 48kg, with prices ranging from €148 to €155 and hitting €160 and over for super-quality lots.

Fleshed lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg are selling on average from €140 to €150, but falling as low as €130 for poorly-fleshed lots and rising over €150 for top-quality lots.

Mart managers report that signs of recent severe price cuts bottoming out is fuelling growing interest in store lambs.

Numbers coming on stream are slowly increasing, with reports also indicating that lambs on some farms have not performed as well as recent years and some farmers are delaying presenting lambs.

Prices for lambs weighing 29kg to 32kg have ranged from €95 to €105 on average, with lambs weighing from 34kg to 36kg trading anywhere from €105 to €120/head.

Heavier lots weighing 41kg to 42kg range from €112 to €130, again depending on lamb type and flesh cover.

Cull ewe prices have firmed by €5 to €10/head, with heavy fleshed ewes recording a greater lift in some marts.

Agents buying ewes for live export or niche market demand are exhibiting much more bite, with heavy fleshed ewes weighing 95kg to upwards of 100kg selling from €2.10/kg to €2.25/kg and higher in cases.

Ewes weighing 80kg to 85kg range from €1.95/kg to €2.10/kg, with lighter fleshed lots falling within a price range of €1.80/kg to €2/kg.