Sheep mart prices: Hoggets solid, more bite for ewes

The mart trade is buoyant, with agents exhibiting a keen appetite for any slaughter-fit sheep following recent upward movement in factory quotes. Some mart managers are reporting prices strengthening by €3 to €5/head, while others which experienced significant movement in the previous sale are reporting prices firming by €1 to €2/head.

Heavier-fleshed hoggets weighing upwards of 53kg to 55kg are trading in the main from €210 to €220/head, with select lots of butcher-type hoggets rising to €225 and higher in isolated cases. Prices paid for hoggets weighing 50kg to 52kg are heavily dependent on condition and potential slaughter performance.

The majority of lots are trading from €200 to €208, with the best-quality lots rising to in excess of €210/head, while at the other end of the quality spectrum small numbers are falling back to the mid-to-high-€190s.

Likewise lighter lots weighing 48kg to 49kg are trading from €192 to €204, with excellent-quality lots rising to €210 and over. Hoggets weighing 44kg to 45kg are selling from €175 to €185 in the main with a small percentage either side of this price range, depending on quality. Demand for store hoggets remains firm, with a high percentage of lowland stores averaging above the €4/kg mark and rising to €4.10/kg to €4.20/kg for the best-quality lots. Smaller numbers of poor-quality hoggets, some of which have stunted growth, or Scottish Blackface types are selling back to €3.50/kg to €3.70/kg.

A high percentage of well-fleshed lowland ewes are trading from €2.30/kg to €2.60/kg, live, with select lots of young and well-conformed ewes selling to €2.80/kg.

Plainer-quality and ewes with an average cover of flesh are selling back to €2/kg to €2.20/kg, with ewes shy of flesh and Scottish Blackface types selling from €1.30/kg to €1.70/kg, with higher prices for heavier carcase Scottish Blackface ewes. In-lamb ewes remain unchanged, with mature ewes carrying 1.7 to two lambs selling from €275 to €330 on average, with some top-quality young ewes rising to €350 to €400 in dispersal sales. Numbers achieving such prices are in the minority.