Sheep Trends: factories pull hoggets by 20c/kg

Sheep producers with hoggets to trade have endured another challenging week, with base quotes falling by 20c/kg in most plants compared with last week’s level.

This leaves the majority of plants offering an opening price of €8.70/kg to €8.80/kg, with Ballon Meats the exception with an all-in quote of €9/kg.

Regular sellers and groups are being paid €8.80/kg to €8.90/kg, with plants refusing to go beyond this.

Agents have also held firm in their stance to reduce paid carcase weight limits, with the main processing plants all operating to 23kg carcase weight.

Factories continue to blame high numbers of hoggets killing at excessive carcase weights and fat scores for creating marketing challenges in export markets. Their efforts in reducing prices and carcase weights are being aided by an increase in throughput.

Last week’s sheep throughput was recorded at 47,602 head. While this represented a reduction of 1,688 head on the previous week, it remains well ahead of the average weekly throughput levels for January and February.

Total throughput for the year to date was running at just shy of 400,000 head up to the end of last week, a reduction of over 100,000 on the corresponding period in 2024.

While hogget supplies are up, cull ewes remain tight, with agents actively sourcing ewes. The number of ewes and rams in last week’s kill was recorded at just 3,347 head.

Quotes remain at €5/kg in the main, but there is an increasing number of sellers securing returns of €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, with higher prices on offer in plants or abattoirs such as Ballon Meats, which is quoting €5.50/kg.

Agents and dealers are securing higher returns and this is evident in their purchasing power in live sales.

Northern Ireland

Factories in Northern Ireland have pulled hogget quotes by a similar level of 15p/kg (18c/kg), with base quotes for Thursday ranging from £6.80/kg to £6.90/kg.

This equates to €8.07/kg to €8.19/kg at Wednesday afternoon’s weaker sterling to euro exchange rate of 84.2p to the euro.

Regular sellers in some plants continue to secure returns of £7/kg (€8.31/kg), but this is harder to secure as the week progresses.

The number of sheep slaughtered last week increased by 862 head to 8,261. This was fueled by the number of sheep exported for direct plants in Ireland reducing by 824 head and recorded at 6,911.

The number of sheep exported to Britain remains steady at approximately 2,000 head, with reports indicating about 300 continue to be exported to the Netherlands.

The latest British hogget prices reported by the Agriculture Horticulture Development Board for last week was £7.45/kg (€8.84/kg). There is some pressure on prices this week but the trade has not fallen to the same extent as in Ireland.