Sheep price update: hogget trade remains sticky

The sheep trade is starting the week in a stickier manner.

Reports from mart sales held on Monday recorded hogget prices easing by €3 to €5/head, with heavier types most in the firing line following moves by factories to reduce weight limits.

Factory agents are also said to be more coy in their purchasing activity. This is not occurring across the board, but is evident in some plants, with agents pushing out sales or more reluctant to quote for hoggets that will be slaughtered later in the week.

Base quotes remain in the region of €8.80/kg, with opening quotes for quality assured (QA) hoggets in the region of €8.90/kg to €9/kg.

Plants are trying to curtail prices to €9/kg, with regular sellers and some groups securing €9.10/kg.

Exceeding this range is proving more challenging, although there are some sellers trading at the top end of the market securing a price premium.

There has been a lot of anger from producers regarding last week’s move to reduce paid carcase weight limits. These range from 23kg to 23.5kg and producers should confirm payment arrangements before moving sheep.

Mart trade

Prices recorded in mart sales on Monday were anywhere from €3 to €8 easier than the previous week. The general run of prices for hoggets weighing 50kg to 52kg was in the region of €200 to €207, with a few excellent-quality batches to €210. Prices paid for heavier hoggets were in cases similar to lighter lots, with the exception of top-quality lots which sold to €215 to €218 and higher on odd occasions.

Cull ewes

The trade for cull ewes in marts is holding strong, with buyers fit for fleshed types. Prices for top-quality ewes remain in the region of €2.50/kg to €2.80/kg.

Ewes with an average cover of flesh and plainer-quality types are selling back to €2/kg, with Scottish Blackface ewes anywhere from €1.30/kg to €1.80/kg depending on ewe size and likely carcase weight, with heavier ewes meeting a better demand.

The factory trade is unchanged, with the majority of plants working off an opening quote of €5/kg and paying 10c/kg to 15c/kg higher for top-quality lots.

Plants or abattoirs specialising in the trade for top-quality ewes are paying upwards of €5.40/kg for top-quality ewes delivered to exact requirements.