Analysis: significant variation in price of hill lambs

Marts in hill areas are reporting a steady increase in throughput levels in recent weeks, as store lambs start to appear in higher numbers.

The highest percentage of throughput so far is crossbred and better-quality Scottish Blackface and Cheviot lambs.

It is looking likely from opening store lamb sales that the trade could follow a similar pattern to last year, with a firm trade for nice-quality crossbred lambs and heavier Scottish Blackface lambs and a more challenging trade for light, plainer-quality types.

An analysis of sale prices shows crossbred lambs with good growth potential ranging on average from €2.80/kg to €3.10/kg for good-quality types, while better-quality and heavier Scottish Blackface lambs weighing upwards of 30kg are selling in the main from €2.30/kg to €2.60/kg.

Light lambs weighing back to 20kg have to date been sluggish, with prices ranging from €2/kg to €2.10/kg.

Kenmare Mart in Co Kerry recorded its largest entry for 2024 of almost 3,000 sheep at its sale on Monday.

Manager Dan McCarthy said there was a good tone to the trade, with demand and prices for store lambs starting the season in a relatively positive manner.

He commented that there is a wide differential present between lambs of varying quality and flesh cover, with a high percentage of crossbred lambs selling from €2.75/kg to €3/kg and some good-quality lowland stores to €3.30/kg and higher.

This was evident in three pens of 41kg lambs selling in close succession at €107 and €116 for store types and €140 for well-fleshed lowland lambs.

He noted that lamb presentation is also having an influence on levels of competition, with buyers most active for evenly matched batches.

Mayo-Sligo Co-op Mart manager Billy Loftus reported on a similar trade at its weekly sheep sale on Tuesday, where over 2,500 sheep were traded.

Billy said there was plenty of buyers for good-quality crossbred lambs, with store lamb finishers buoyed by positive performance in 2023.

Nice-quality and well-presented crossbred store lambs sold from €2.70/kg to €3/kg, with better-quality lowland types selling upwards of €3.30/kg, with keen demand also present for ewe lambs with breeding potential.

Numbers of light Scottish Blackface lambs will not start to appear for a few weeks in any great number, but those on offer weighing 20kg to 25kg sold from €36 to €50 depending on quality.