Mart managers report that prices have held on the week previous, with a marginal increase on well fleshed slaughter fit lambs. Lambs upwards of 50kg with a high kill out potential are similar to last week, with some farmers securing €1-€2/kg higher.

The majority of these types are trading for €140-€145/kg, again depending on kill out potential, with the best-quality lots and those attracting butcher-buyer interest rising to upwards of €155-€160/head.

Sellers presenting heavy lambs of similar weight but lacking flesh and kill out potential are being heavily penalised, with prices being peeled back to the low to mid-€130s.

Lambs weighing from 45kg to 46kg are trading similar to last week at €130 to €135 for well fleshed lots, with those lacking fat cover back to the mid-€120s.

BISS payments

Significant sums of money have hit farmers accounts this week, which has helped to put a solid floor in the store lambs trade, as well as a renewed confidence with factory prices stabilising. The early housing of beef cattle on certain farms has also driven demand in some areas as farmers look to graze off surplus grass, with the biggest demand being in short keep stores for this purpose.

Lambs weighing 38kg to 40kg are trading from €2.60/kg to €2.85/kg, with select lots rising to €2.90/kg and higher. Prices are similar for lowland lambs weighing back to 35kg, with crossbred and hill types selling from €2.20/kg to €2.50/kg for good-quality lambs with decent covers of flesh.

Forward type Scotch lambs weighing 35kg and above are selling from €1.80/kg to €2.10/kg, though light male hill lambs remain in low demand from buyers, many of whom may have been burned with long keep store lambs this spring.

Prices range on average from €1.30/kg to €1.75/kg, with the poorest-quality lots falling below this range. Hogget numbers are now beginning to dry up, with good-quality lots averaging from €170 to €190, with select lots in short supply topping €200/head.

The cull ewe trade remains similar to the last number of weeks, with a price range of €110 to €130 buying the majority of heavy ewes.

Prices for lighter crossbred ewes range from €1.10/kg to €1.35/kg, while Scottish Blackface ewes range from upwards of 60c/kg for poor-quality ewes to €1/kg for fleshed ewes.