Hogget supplies have tightened significantly over the last week, leaving factory agents having to work harder to get their hands on required numbers.

Base quotes for Thursday are up by 10c/kg to 20c/kg, with the two Irish Country Meats (ICM) plants offering a quote of €9/kg plus 20c/kg quality assurance (QA) payment.

Kildare Chilling is offering a base quote of €9/kg plus its 10c/kg QA payment and Ballon Meats is leading the quotes at an all-in price of €9.30/kg.

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The increase in quotes brings prices closer in line to higher-priced deals, which have been negotiated since the weekend.

Top prices negotiated over the weekend ranged from €9.30/kg to €9.50/kg, with many such deals to 23.5kg carcase weight.

There are also reports in the last couple of days of up to €9.60/kg being paid for significant numbers.

Numbers of spring lambs coming on stream are low, with factories still focusing on hoggets.

They are willing to handle higher numbers of spring lambs to try to compensate for tighter supplies of hoggets, but base quotes remain unchanged at €10/kg for QA lambs.

Typical prices are in the region of €10/kg, but there are also deals being completed 10c/kg to 20c/kg higher.

Reports indicate that some sellers with heavier spring lambs are also trying to opt to market them as hoggets, with the extra weight allowance and narrower differential between prices paid for hoggets and spring lambs making it more advantageous to do so.

Last week’s kill figures reflect the tightening in supply, with throughput falling by about 7,500 head to 37,852.

This includes 32,289 hoggets, just 997 spring lambs and 4,566 ewes and rams.

Quotes for ewes are unchanged, with the general range from €5.30/kg to €5.50/kg.

Higher-priced deals of upwards of €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg are reported at the top end of the market, while the mart trade remains a good outlet for heavy-carcase ewes likely to kill over paid carcase weights.

Northern trade

The trade in Northern Ireland has also stepped up a notch, with numbers in the market also following a downward trend.

Base quotes remain in the region of £8.30/kg (€9.57/kg) for hoggets, but sellers handling large numbers are securing £8.40/kg to £8.50/kg (€9.69/kg to €9.80/kg).

Competition is high in the market, with continued strong demand from buyers purchasing sheep to export live to Britain and Ireland.

The number of sheep exported to Ireland for direct slaughter last week fell by 1,695 head to 4,449 sheep. The number of sheep exported to Britain for direct slaughter halved to 644 head, but numbers exported live for selling on are reported as remaining firm. ABP has increased its lamb quote by 20p/kg to £8.80/kg (€10.12/kg).