Demand for slaughter-fit sheep remains solid, but an increase in the number of finished lambs coming on to the market has allowed agents to ease top prices.

Previous to this, top prices paid for fleshed lambs were well in excess of equivalent factory returns.

Prices at the top end of the market for heavy lambs have eased by €3 to €5/head, but still remain competitive.

Lambs weighing from 49kg to 52kg are trading in the main from €152 to €158. Top-quality lots and heavier lambs are in some cases selling to the mid- to high-€170s.

Likewise, lambs lacking significant flesh cover are selling back under €150/head.

There is an equally wide differential for lambs weighing 45kg to 46kg, with a high percentage falling within a range of €140 to €148/head and varying either side, depending on quality, by €3 to €5/head.

Solid store lamb demand

Demand for store lambs is solid, with lowland lots selling in the main from €3/kg to €3.30/kg.

Top-quality lots and ewe lambs with breeding potential are selling upwards of €3.50/kg, with a strong trade for quality hoggets adding more life into the trade for nice-quality ewe lambs.

Crossbred lambs are selling from €2.70/kg to €3/kg with more comment on hill lamb prices on page 56.

Hogget entries in sales are significantly back in many sales. Top-quality hoggets are trading in opening sales from €260 to €300, with prizewinners to over €300/head.

Lighter hoggets requiring significant feeding and plainer-quality types are selling back to less than €200/head, but most sales to date have had a lower percentage of such types.

The cull ewe trade has been stickier in the past week. Heavy fleshed ewes are trading from €1.90/kg to €2.10/kg. There is still some standout prices of up to €2.30/kg to €2.40/kg and higher being paid for super-quality ewes, but numbers are lower than recent weeks.

Feeding ewes are selling from €1.40/kg to €1.65/kg on average, with aged ewes lacking flesh back to €1/kg. Light Scottish Blackface ewes with poor flesh cover are trading from 70c/kg to €1/kg.